


Persona 4: Second Shift

by blitzor11



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Persona 3 Spoilers, Spoilers, TV World (Persona 4), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 74,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26574649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blitzor11/pseuds/blitzor11
Summary: After leaving Inaba with Nanako hospitalized, the Investigation Team broken and shattered, and justice hardly given, Yu finds himself on a train bound once again for Inaba.Tags to come. And go read Canon Divergence, whilst you're at it. Big Spoilers for P4G.
Comments: 41
Kudos: 46





	1. Roundabout

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Canon Divergence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549326) by [aquietdin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquietdin/pseuds/aquietdin). 



> After I got the idea of a time looped, year back scenario for the protagonist, I found and read the entirety of Canon Divergence and felt inspired to write one of my own, using a similar concept and idea. I'll probably write more and will definitely make some liberal changes to the plot. So relax, and please have fun with the work of fiction.

Yu clenched his eyes shut as he closed his flip phone, still unable to bring himself to look at all of his unread texts. The past three months he'd been lonely, with most of his companionship comprising of a weak Nanako in the hospital. Yosuke's outburst in the hospital back in December had strained everyone's relationship, and Yu still remembered how he'd almost left the room to vomit. 

If he had, where would he be now? Yosuke might not have been deterred from throwing Namatame in. The others might not have stopped him. It didn't matter in the end, though. What happened that night had irreversibly broken them up. Yu had seen Chie and Yukiko around the town on his way to the hospital, but had never been able to meet their gaze. He saw Kanji in the news every once in a while, noting that he'd returned to busting biker gangs. 

His hand shook as he held it in front of him, still holding his phone in it. Yu flipped it open again, casting his eyes away as he scrolled past all of his unread messages and down to his photo album. His lips turned upwards in a smile as he opened a picture of Nanako and him, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Yu was grateful that she at least hadn't died, though he knew that Namatame wouldn't be charged for her suffering, and it made him bitter and angry just thinking about it. Yu wiped the tears off his face before putting the phone back in his pocket. 

He listened to the sounds of the train carrying him away from Inaba for a short while, before remembering what he and Dojima had said to each other before they left the house. "What do you think about your time here?" He'd said, then continued after a brief pause. "Are you satisfied with the things you did... the choices you made?" Yu had asked him to clarify, though Dojima took that as his answer. Odds were, Dojima knew that he had regrets. Many, even. Who couldn't, after what had happened past December?

Yu looked to his right, first at the small scratch on the window, and next at the oppressive fog outside. Even though it was so long ago, he remembered how he initially hadn't had much appreciation for the scenery into Inaba. Now he found it calming, beautiful even; it was a shame that his memory of Inaba had been tainted by so wretched a turn of events just three months ago. He let out a heavy sigh as he sank back into his seat, idly looking around the rest of the car. There were a handful of people, half of them dressed in business suits, with him. 

Yu shut his eyes; he might as well get some sleep on the way home. He felt the train begin to turn as he did, and once it stopped, so did the sound of the wheels on the tracks. Yu opened his eyes, wondering if they'd already made it to the next station. The train was surrounded by an icy, pale blue mist. Yu furrowed his brow, then stood up from his seat. After the fog, he noticed the lack of other passengers. Nothing remained of them, not even tracked dirt or luggage. 

"Where am I?" He asked, speaking to no one in particular. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to watch a bright, fluorescent blue butterfly flutter past him, headed towards the front of the car. Yu held his luggage close as he stepped out from his row of seats, and paced after the small creature. His footsteps were all he heard, and as he came up to the door, he felt a heavy pressure from the edge of the car. It was like the feeling he got when he put the tip of his finger just between his eyes, only extended to the whole front of his body. 

He reached his hand in, and when he felt the feeling stop in his fingertips he stepped in. He let out a sigh as he looked around, seeing the similarly vacant passenger car he was now in. It was not just similarly vacant; it was similar, alike even, with the exact same posters and advertisements as the previous one. Yu frowned, then walked over towards where he had been sat previously. He leaned forwards, inspecting the glass; the scratch was there, too. Yu looked at the butterfly, which was now on his seat. He set his duffel bag on the cushion next to it and watched it fly into a grate embedded in the wall as he sat down. 

"Do not squander this opportunity," a voice called out, as if speaking to him from all sides. Yu looked around, but saw no one. Everything went dark, and suddenly he was sat in a train. The repetitive sounds of the train had resumed, leaving Yu confused and disoriented. He looked out the window, seeing the exact sights he remembered from his journey into Inaba. His heart started to pound in his chest, as thoughts of what had happened raced through his head. 

He reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone and flipping it open. One unread message. The time was 13:27, April 11th, 2011. Yu furrowed his brow again, rubbing his eye to make sure he hadn't misread it. Was this a dream? He couldn't recall the last time he'd had a lucid dream, if ever. The screen changed to text as he opened the email. "Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 17 o'clock." Yu quickly backed out, and looked through his album of pictures that were no longer there. He winced at the sight, though was there really any concern if this was a dream? 

Next on his list of things to check was his duffel bag, which he pulled out from the overhead storage and started to rummage through. Everything was neat and orderly, with one oddity. The ultramarine card he'd been given ages ago, and promptly forgot about, was sitting atop his clothes. Margaret had given this to him for his work in filling the compendium; it had been so long since he'd visited that he'd nearly forgotten about it. Everything felt so real, yet at the same time, the entire situation was about as surreal as it could get. 

Travelling back and forth between two worlds was one thing, but seemingly travelling back in time? Yu sighed, shaking his head. This was just a dream, right? Being given a redo on the past year of his life, prepared for everything that would be curve balled towards him? It was a fantastical idea, which unfortunately was just that: fantasy. Yu shook his head, clearing his thoughts. If it were a dream, he might as well enjoy it. And if it wasn't, well, he'd think more about that when he didn't wake up. Settling back into his seat, he lamented his lack of music to keep him company for the rest of the ride.

The passenger car dimmed slightly as the train passed under a tunnel, preventing the sun's natural light from coming in through the windows. He leaned forward slightly, ready to catch his "first" view of the town, only to be distracted by the thought of an assault, Margaret, then finally Igor. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his chin as he frowned. Did that happen...? 

Yu wasn't sure what to think of it, or whether he even should think as he looked back out the window. He smiled as the train pulled out of the tunnel, the mountains, fields, and buildings of Inaba greeting him under the warm light of the sun. It was calming, and turned the corners of his mouth upwards in a smile, if only a slight one. Five minutes later, the train had ground to a halt at Yasoinaba station. 

The time on his phone read 15:54, just over an hour before he was supposed to meet Dojima. He grabbed his bag with one hand, stood up, and hoisted it over his shoulder as he walked towards the exit. Then he frowned, as he realized he had a whole hour before he was supposed to meet Dojima. That wasn't how it'd been before, he was certain of it. His heart beat faster and faster as he made it outside, looking towards his left. True to the email he'd gotten, there was no one there. Yu frowned, then stepped outside and looked around. He didn't see their car anywhere. Yu sighed, then sat down on a step and started waiting.

A few minutes later, his staring into the void was interrupted when someone walked into his field of view. "What are you doing?" Someone asked, and as he looked up he quickly recognized Marie. She was without her hat and satchel, which he had grown accustomed to seeing her in. Her tone of voice was devoid of any accusation; it was as if she were asking a genuine question, which did not surprise him. 

"I'm just waiting around." He replied simply, looking up at her. She looked confused for a second, then shrugged and walked past him. He could hear her boots clicking against the concrete of the steps as she passed by.

"Hey, did you drop this?" She asked, and Yu looked back at her. She was holding the small slip of paper he'd written his address on in one hand, and was looking down at him. He nodded and stood up, walking over and grabbing the paper. He stuffed it back into his back pocket, though in all honesty, he doubted that he'd need it. He gave her his thanks, then returned to sitting on the steps of the station's front patio. 

After about forty minutes of staring off into space, he watched as Dojima pulled into the parking lot. Considering he still hadn't woken up, he supposed it was getting more and more likely that he'd have to start seriously thinking things over. "Hey! Over here!" His uncle shouted, waving towards him from just next to the car. Yu made his way through the parking lot and towards them. He was anxious to see how they were doing, even if they logically should be just fine.

Nanako, thankfully, was in perfect health. There was no sign she'd ever even been in the hospital for more than a regular check-up. Dojima, similarly, was in good shape. The bags under his eyes weren't as heavy, and the scar from his crash was absent altogether. Things were as they should be on April 11th, 2011. "Welcome to Inaba," Dojima said, "I'm Dojima Ryotaro. I'll be looking after you." Yu smiled politely and nodded his head once. "Your mother's my older sister, and that about sums it up." Yu cocked his head slightly; didn't he say he was her younger brother, before? 

He shoved that thought aside as he realized he was being silent, and thus awkward. "It's nice to see you again," Yu said. Shit.

"Ha, so you remember me? You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers," Dojima said, and Yu sighed internally as he thought nothing of the comment. Should he even be worried about that? Dojima gently pushed Nanako towards Yu. "This here's my daughter." Nanako looked at Yu's shoes timidly. "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

"...'ello," she said, her quiet voice masking the 'h' in her greeting. Yu had to stop himself from kneeling down and hugging her, fearing that it would be unwelcome. The two might be the closest family he had, but only to him; if this were real, he didn't want to sour his relations with them by being too forward. 

Dojima chuckled as she stepped back behind him. "What're you so shy for?" He asked, then yelped when she lightly struck the back of his leg. Then he laughed again, and Yu couldn't help but smile. "Well then... Let's get going. Hop in back, and we'll head home."

Yu opened the door to the car and set his bag on the seat opposite him, then got in. Dojima started up the car and pulled out of the parking spot, then shifted gears and started towards the parking lot's exit. "Are you cramped back there, Yu?" He asked, glancing towards him through the rearview mirror. Yu shook his head. He'd gone without much leg space for what felt like hours; he could go for fifteen minutes.

"You know, I was kind of worried about you." Yu raised his eyebrows, remembering nothing of this conversation. Did he simply forget it? "When I'd heard that there was a train accident on the railroad in, I wasn't sure if your train was before or after it." Dojima chuckled, as Yu became even more confused. "Glad to see you were evidently after it." Yu was sure that there hadn't been a train accident or anything before. Neither had Dojima said anything about one. 

"Yeah," he muttered, mentally collecting the differences so far. He'd arrived an hour early, though compared to how it should have been, Dojima was actually an hour late. Yu was grateful he remembered most of the first week he was here, even with everything that happened. Marie had been there at the same time, too, and they had largely the same interaction. Then there was talk of an accident. "Do you know what happened in the accident?" 

Dojima shook his head slightly. "I only know that there was one. Sorry." Yu nodded, then looked out the window. The rest of the ride went on as expected, with Yu almost predicting what Dojima would say next. Yu's concerns abated as the familiar sights of Inaba streamed past him. The idea of seeing them for another year of his life truly did wonders for his mental health. Especially, he realized, if it meant getting a second chance at both the murders and the team. 

"Might as well top up on the gas while we're here," Dojima grumbled, pulling the car into the Moel Gas Station. Yu stepped out, watching as Dojima, Nanako, and the attendant conversed. He didn't pay as much attention to them this time, more interested in taking in the sights. He supposed this would be the only opportunity he'd have to get a feel for Inaba proper, without any of the concern and worry of the murders. He sighed, feeling almost sad at that. 

He watched Dojima walk off a short way, pulling a lighter and a cigarette out of his pocket. The gas station attendant walked towards Yu, smiling amicably. "Are you in high school?" He asked. Yu nodded, wondering where this conversation was going. He realized that he must have forgotten this particular conversation. "Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here?"

Yu smirked slightly, deciding to be a little coy about answering. "Not at all, actually." The attendant looked surprised for a second before returning to his friendly work smile. 

"There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs," he went on, and Yu nearly zoned him out. "Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now." He stuck his hand out towards Yu, and he reached his forwards to shake it. "Give it some thought, will you? We don't mind if you're a student." 

Yu felt a wave of nausea come over him as he shook hands with the attendant, though managed to stifle his grimace down before he walked away. Nanako had just gotten back, which helped slightly with the feeling of sickness that just crashed into him. "Are you okay?" She asked, after a quick pause. Yu nodded meekly, not wanting to risk disturbing his stomach even more. "Did you get carsick?" Yu nodded again, suddenly remembering that he'd felt sick last time, too. He went to bed early as a result. 

"Don't worry about me," he said, putting on a smile. He tried his best to nonchalantly lean up against the side of the car, though being dizzy hardly helped with it. 

"What's wrong? You okay?" Dojima asked, as he walked up towards Yu. He nodded slightly again. For a moment he thought that the ride must have taken a bigger toll on his body than he'd thought, but he had a whole hour to recuperate from that. Was it just the car ride, then?

"I just felt a little lightheaded, that's all." Dojima nodded, looking first at the car and then around the shopping district.

"That's understandable. It must have been a long trip for you." Yu nodded, still being careful so as not to keep himself from hurling right in front of his uncle. "Why not take a short walk and get some fresh air? Just let me know when you're ready to go." Yu pushed himself off of the car, and headed down the street. The familiar sight of the southern section of the shopping district soothed him, made him feel like he was at home. He supposed that maybe he was at home; it certainly felt like it. 

A lone tear streamed down his face as memories of standing in line, waiting to get into Marukyu Tofu to speak with Rise came to mind. The last time he'd gone in there was months ago, and it was the last time he'd ever said anything to Rise. Next to it was Daidara, where he'd often meet Chie for training. Another memory, another tear. He quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt, then headed back towards the car. "Got enough fresh air?" Dojima asked, looking towards Yu. 

"Yeah." He said with a nod, then got in the back of the car. Yu watched the familiar sights of Inaba zoom past the car as they drove through the streets, eventually driving up the incline that he climbed every day. Yu eyed the house as Dojima pulled the car into the garage, already feeling at home once again. He grabbed his bag and stepped out of the car, shutting it behind him as Dojima stretched his back. 

He followed behind as Dojima led him to the front door. His eyes lingered on the red mailbox, though he turned his attention to the living room as he stepped inside. "Your room is just up the stairs, on the left. The boxes of your other stuff arrived just a couple days ago, so I put them in there." Yu nodded, then headed up the stairs. Unpacking, he hoped, would be far easier than packing everything back up. 

Everything was nearly in order after half an hour of emptying out the boxes, and Yu had just relaxed into his futon when he heard Nanako knock at the door. "Dinner's ready," she said, her small voice muffled through the door. Yu smiled, then headed downstairs. Most of his nausea had subsided, but the parts that lingered gave him no reprieve. Dojima and Nanako were sat down at the table when he stepped in, and he smiled at the pair of them. Oh, how he'd missed having food like this. 

"All right," Dojima said, opening up a small can of cola, "let's have a toast." Yu grabbed his own drink, and twisted the cap once before raising the bottle up slightly. Realizing how hungry he was, Yu could hardly wait to dig into the plate of sushi in front of him. He took a quick drink from his bottle of milk, then got to eating.

"So... Your mom and dad are busy as always." Yu nodded his head. "They're working overseas, was it?" He nodded again. It had been so long since he'd even seen them that he almost forgot the reason he was here. "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this sure is rough." Yu shrugged, then put a piece of sushi into his mouth. "Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around." 

Yu smiled at Dojima politely, nodding his head in thanks. "So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home." 

"I'll do just that," Yu said with a smile. Dojima nodded, and the three were having their first dinner together. A part of Yu longed to throw himself into this life, though a thread of doubt as to whether or not this was real still kept him back. If there was a dream someone might die for, it'd be one like this. Yu's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of Dojima's cell phone. 

"Ugh... Who's calling at this hour?" The detective grumbled, then reached into his pocket and stood up. "Dojima speaking," he said, putting the phone up to his ear. "Yeah? I see... So where is it?" He paused for a few seconds. "All right, I'm on my way." He shut his phone and looked back to Nanako. Yu realized now, that he hated knowing what was about to happen. "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me." 

Yu thought that the look on Dojima's face was too blank and unapologetic for the news, but he said nothing, fearing he'd overstep his boundaries. Nanako stood up upon hearing the news. "I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?" She looked down.

"...Okay." Yu looked at her as Dojima walked towards the front door and put his shoes on, neither of them saying anything. Dojima opened the door, and the sound of rain outside filled the room.

"Nanako, it's raining! What did you do with the laundry?" Dojima yelled, looking over his shoulder. 

"I already brought it in!" She replied back. It was raining, Yu thought. That meant the Midnight Channel would be on, wouldn't it? He'd see Mayumi Yamano on the TV, and tomorrow she'd be dead. His thoughts raced through the events that welcomed him into Inaba, before Dojima said his goodbyes. Yu heard the car start outside and drive off, leaving him alone with Nanako. She said nothing as she sat back down, and leaned towards the remote to turn on the TV. "...Let's eat." She said after a short while, and Yu returned to eating his dinner. 

"It must be tough." He stated simply, not sure of what else to say. Nanako shrugged slightly, and put another piece of sushi into her mouth.

"It's always like this," she said. Yu hadn't the first time, but knowing her better helped him pick up the sadness in her voice. His heart pained for her, seeing her like this. "My dad's a detective." Yu nodded, then looked over at the TV as the news turned to the next section. 

"And now for the local news," the anchorman said, looking directly into the camera. "The city council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages." Yu's hand trembled as he looked at the picture of Namatame on the screen, though he calmed himself before Nanako could notice. "In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances." 

The news carried on as Yu focused on his food, zoning out the broadcast. "This is boring," Nanako said, reaching over towards the remote and changing the channel. A Junes commercial was playing on the TV, and the signature Junes jingle played once it was over. Yu smiled in anticipation of Nanako's personal rendition of it. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She sang afterwards, waving her hand in the air slightly. It warmed Yu's heart, seeing it done with all her energy.

They ate the rest of their dinner in relative silence, and the sound of rain outside came back to his attention. He was tired and he was nauseous, but he wanted to check the Midnight Channel first. He walked into his room, looking around at the stack of empty cardboard boxes next to his wall, then walked over to his sofa. He flipped open his phone; it was still only mid evening. Yu sighed, tossing it onto the cushion as he walked over towards his dresser and pulling a fresh change of clothes from it before heading back downstairs. Nanako was watching TV, and looked up at him as he came down the stairs.

"Are you using the bath?" He nodded, then walked towards the bathroom door. "Don't worry if the pipe rattles, it does that from time to time." Yu nodded again and thanked her for the warning, then stepped inside. There was a long shower in store for him, and he yawned before turning the water on. He got out of his Yasogami High uniform, wondering why he even had it on before stepping into the tub. He ought to get a notebook, something to write everything down in before he forgot too much of it. 

Next on his list of things to think about was the train. Something about that butterfly seemed familiar, nostalgic even, now that he thought about it. The fog outside had changed then, too. Was that when things "started"? He rinsed down his body as he thought, still confused as to what had even happened. And that voice... it told him not to squander this opportunity. Was it what brought him here? Or was it all a figment of imagination, a construct of his dreams? He groaned, unable to make sense of it all. 

Yu got out of the shower earlier than he expected to, his train of thought coming to a stop. He'd leave the stress for another day, when he was sure that he wasn't dreaming. He stepped out of the tub and slipped into a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a shirt. He'd have time to kill until midnight, still. He grabbed his clothes and headed upstairs, saying goodnight to Nanako as he went up. He reclined in his couch, resolving to stay awake until midnight.


	2. Investigation

Yu almost struggled to stay awake as he waited for the clock to tick to midnight, the only lights coming from the moon outside and his phone. A wrinkled paper with scribblings and notes on it sat next to one of his pens on the table in front of him, the evidence of his attempt to organise everything in his mind on paper. Realising it'd be futile to write everything down only to wake up from a dream, he stopped after June. It was 23:58 now. Yu stood up and walked over towards the window, pulling the blinds open. The fog had set in. 

Would anything show up on the TV? He hadn't ever failed to rescue anyone by the time the fog had set in, thankfully, but it had him worried. What would he see? The time ticked over to midnight, and he walked over to the TV, looking into the screen. It was dark for a moment, then flickered on as he peered into the TV World. It was the room that they'd found, walls plastered with posters of Hiiragi, paint, and blood. He saw a figure, and recognised it as Yamano. She stood over another body, and although Yu couldn't tell, he was sure it was the real Yamano that lay dead on the floor. 

He grimaced, knowing that the events had been put in motion. Tomorrow, Saki Konishi would witness the body, be thrown in, and then die. Yu sighed as he moved to his futon, sitting down in it to contemplate what he should do. Would warning her tomorrow help? What could he do? His mouth felt dry, and his heart pounded in his chest. Was he truly helpless? 

No, no. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure. People showed up on the Midnight Channel after showing up on TV, right? If he could get Konishi to not show up on the TV, to not be interviewed, he could save her life. He nodded to himself. She was interviewed because she'd seen the body first. Then, if someone else saw the body first... then they would be killed. Yu frowned. Anyone else interviewed would just be thrown in and show up dead the next day, like the rest. But if he was the one... Yu felt a wave of nausea come over him, shortly followed by the absolute darkness of sleep. 

Everything was white when he came to, and there was a constant humming of power all around him. He was here again. He'd had this dream before, hadn't he? Yu pushed himself to his feet, looking around. A thick, light blue fog was all around him. Red and black squares formed a path ahead of him, and the only way he could see was forwards. Behind him, the squares; cubes, actually, broke off and fell away from the rest, becoming disjointed and free. He started forwards, mind racing. Could he dream within a dream? Dreams were already a creation of the mind, so it stood to reason that a dream within a dream would merely just be another part of the first. 

Or had this become his reality? He shook his head, not believing that to be the case. "Do you seek the truth?" A voice called out to him, ringing in his ears. He winced at the discomfort, then looked around him. Faintly, he could see other cubes above him, but no source of the sound. More so than the last voice he'd heard in his head, this voice reminded him of his Persona's. The painful ringing accompanied by words. Yu carried on, watching his footing. 

"If it's truth you desire, come and find me..." The voice called out again, the ringing now stronger in his ears. Whatever it was, it seemed it wanted him to come to it. He carried on, his footsteps echoing on the red and black surface of the path. A wall appeared in front of him, with squares of bright red and black material on it. He slowed down, examining it carefully without touching it. It was the same material as what he was walking on. The black was made up of some sort of cable or rope, though it was unlike anything Yu'd seen elsewhere. He reached out to touch it, but watched as the wall began to rotate and disappear into itself. 

There was someone here. He could feel their presence up ahead. "So you are finally here." It was the voice again, but this time there was no ringing, and it came clearly from the figure in the mist. Yu was holding a sword in his hands, now, and charged forwards almost instantly. He swung, and felt the tip of his blade collide with something tough before recoiling back.

"Hmmm... It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog..." Yu steeled his mind, and though his hands shook he called upon his Persona. His heart skipped a beat with elation as he watched an ethereal tarot card appear in front of him, and he reached out and crushed it. He stepped back, unaccustomed to the force with which Izanagi separated from him with, and watched as lightning crackled forth towards the figure. 

The figure stood, unperturbed. "I see... Indeed... That is very interesting information." Again he invoked Izanagi, and again the figure tanked the hit without issue. "You will not catch me so easily." It said, as the fog around it started to thicken. "If what you seek is 'truth', then your search will be even harder..." Yu called Izanagi out again, though his Persona was unable to strike anything with the swing of its blade.

"Everyone sees only what they want to see... And the fog only deepens." Yu brought his blade closer to him, ready to block an attack if need be. "Will we meet again?" The voice said, after a short pause. "At a place other than here..." Before he could react, he felt the presence of something immediately behind him. "I look forward to it," the voice said, and his vision clouded with black.

Yu woke up with a groan, sitting up in his futon. Nanako said something from the other side of the door, though he couldn't tell what she said. He was sweating, and felt as if he'd had a nightmare. He shook his head and got dressed. 

Yu walked into the living room, the smell of fresh toast and sausage having caught his attention. That's right... Nanako had made him breakfast on the first day of school. "You made breakfast?" He asked, walking towards the table. Toast, sausage, and an egg were on a pair of plates, which had Yu eager to eat. She nodded as she brought her own plate over from the kitchen, setting the plate on the table.

"Good morning," she said before starting to eat. Yu joined her, taking a bite out of the toast before anything else, savouring the texture and warmth of it in his mouth. 

"Did you do all the cooking?" 

Nanako nodded again. "I can toast bread... and cook sunny-side-up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner." Yu nodded along as he chewed down another bite of toast.

"Good job. Want to..." He had been about to suggest he cook food for tonight's dinner, then remembered his plans. "Want to walk to school together today?" She'd suggested it herself last time, so diverting to that was a safe bet. 

"Sure. My school's on the way." She smiled, though he noted that she seemed somewhat restless. He ate the rest of his breakfast, unable to properly savour it all with his anxiety eating away at him.

His plan for later today took most of his attention, and he was absorbed in his thoughts for much of the walk to school. Konishi had left school early that day, and happened across the body because of it. If he could just leave school before she could, he might be able to get to the body first. Yu glanced at Nanako as they got to the intersection that passed through the flood plains. "You keep going straight from here," she said, pointing down the road. "My school's this way. Bye." Nanako left with a smile, one that Yu would have reciprocated were it not for the heavy burden he felt.

He'd packed light today, knowing he wouldn't be able to leave school with anything in it. He remembered the path that he'd walked with Yukiko and Chie, thankfully. They'd come across the scene there, at a T-section in the road. If he got there first, Saki would live. His grip on his umbrella tightened as he walked down the road, hoping, praying that he'd be able to make it. 

Yu watched the Samegawa Flood Plains road turn into an urban street surrounded by houses, and spotted the collection of trash bags and cans up ahead. This was where... "Pardon!" He heard a voice shout from behind, and he didn't bother to turn as Yosuke rode past him. Yu thought about saying something, but realised there was no way Yosuke would have heard him, let alone hear him with enough time to react. 

Yosuke's bike careened into the pile of trash, sliding and throwing him off the bike and to the ground. His umbrella, which Yu surmised was partially the cause of his crash, lay on the ground a few feet from him as Yosuke nursed his wounds in the rain. Yu picked it up with the hand he held his bag in and hold it over him. He'd regretted not doing something once he'd gotten to know Yosuke better, doubly so after they'd grown so close. "You'll catch a cold," he said simply, causing Yosuke to look back at him. 

"Huh? Oh, thanks." It took him a little while, but eventually, he stood up straight and grabbed his umbrella from Yu. "I'll just... walk this the rest of the way." Yu nodded and walked alongside Yosuke as they went to school. He was too preoccupied with Konishi to think of anything to say. 

Yu parted ways with Yosuke as they walked past the school gate, needing to hand some paperwork off to the office before class. He was about to leave for the classroom before Mr. Morooka stepped in front of him. "Hey. You're the new transfer, right?" It was almost surreal seeing Mr. Morooka again. Seeing Nanako had been too, but she had still been alive; Morooka, on the other hand, had been dead for half a year. "Did you hear me, or is your head as empty as it looks?" Yu blinked.

"Sorry. And I am, yes." Mr. Morooka nodded, his extreme overbite as present as ever. 

"I'll show you to class," he said, and escorted Yu over to 2-2. He remembered this as well, and realised that it was how he'd figured out which class he was in. It would have been somewhat awkward if he'd known without the escort, meaning he was lucky, in some cruel sense of the word. Yu followed him into the classroom, and spotted Chie and Yukiko immediately. Yosuke stood out less so than the other two, but Yu was quick to recognise him. Mr. Morooka cleared his throat before speaking to the class.

"Alright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!" Yu felt everyone in class collectively cringe, any hopes of their teacher being anyone but Morooka quickly dashed. "First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons." Yu looked around the room as Morooka continued.

"Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!" Morooka looked around the room, daring anyone to speak up. "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce the new transfer." Yu looked towards him, remembering how he'd been initially introduced. 

"This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. He's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so don't get your hopes up if you were expecting someone to give your class some sort of meaning." Yu's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. "Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick." Yu nodded his head and cleared his throat.

"My name is Narukami Yu. It's nice to meet you all." Nice and simple.

Morooka exploded on him as if he'd kicked his dog. "What's that look you're giving to that girl back there, by the window?! You thought I wouldn't notice?!" Yu leaned away as he looked at Mr. Morooka, hoping to avoid at least some of his spittle. "Now listen up! This town is miles away from the big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them!" Yu nodded, as if agreeing not to. He bit back a smirk as he realised he said nothing about the guys.

"But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. I turn around for a second, and you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places..." Morooka grumbled for a short while after, before being interrupted by Chie. 

"Sensei! Excuse me, but is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" She asked, her hand raised before she pointed towards the seat next to her.

"Eh? Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there, so hurry up and sit your ass down already!" Yu nodded politely, then walked over towards the seat. He sat down, glancing between Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke. 

"He's the worst, huh?" Chie said quietly, leaning towards him as Mr. Morooka turned to grab something. "Sure is rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class... Well, we just have to hang in there for a year." Yu nodded, feeling his heart race and sweat form. He hadn't put much thought towards it this morning, but this was an awfully long time for a dream. Not to mention that everything was going as it should, even if there were slight differences here and there. 

Yu heard his name more than once as the people in class started speaking amongst themselves, and he hoped it wouldn't interfere with his early embarkment. "Shut your traps!" Morooka shouted again. "I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!" Yu sat back in his chair as Morooka took attendance, then started on his lecture. 

Yu left soon after the rain stopped, which was not long before the end of the school day. Morooka had turned around to write something on the chalkboard, and he wasted no time in getting up. He tapped on Yosuke's desk as he stood up. "Take all my stuff for me, will you?" Yosuke looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and followed him as Yu walked towards the door. 

"Hey, where ya going?" He asked quietly, loud enough for Yu to hear, but quiet enough to be masked by the rest of the ambient noise in class. Yu glanced back as he continued towards the door, but didn't answer. He opened the door, then quickly stepped out. 

Yu's heart was beating as he started on the first part of his plan. It was surprisingly easy to get out of the classroom; now he just had to get out of the school building. He did his best to quietly make his way down the stairs, and walked over towards his shoe locker where he quickly slipped into his normal shoes. Yu wished he'd asked Yosuke for Konishi's number, but he was already out of class. He walked towards the door, and-

"Hey." Someone said, causing Yu to nearly jump out of his skin. He reached his hand towards the door as he looked behind him, then realised it was Saki. He let out a sigh of relief; she hadn't left yet. "Are you leaving early too?" Yu nodded.

"I have to take care of something," he said, realising he had less time than he thought, but enough time. "What about you?" 

"Oh, I just have a work interview. New job, and all." Yu didn't remember anything about this, though he supposed he wouldn't have had any way of knowing. She walked towards the door just next to him, fishing her hand through her pocket. 

Yu watched as she pulled out a small worn key, fitting it into the keyhole in the door. It was locked? Thank god she arrived, he thought, and quickly followed her through the door. Yu cleared his throat before speaking up. "Konishi-senpai, can I ask a favour?" Shit, should he even know her name?

"What is it?" She seemed undisturbed by his knowledge of her name.

"I need you to stay here for just a little while. Please." She looked at him, confusion visible in her expression. "And stay for however long as you can, but when you leave, I need you to take a different route than what you were planning on taking." Her confusion grew.

"W-Why such an odd favour?" A fair question to ask.

"There's just something I have to do," Yu said, eyeing the open gate. "Damnit, please just wait," he blurted out, then bolted towards the gate. He heard her exclaim something, though he didn't catch exactly what it was as he ran down the road that led towards the rest of the city. His surroundings passed by as a blur as he focused on just getting to the body, having mapped out the path in his brain three times already in class. 

He could feel the odd looks and stares of everyone he passed, and understandably so; there was someone new in town, and he was running like his life depended on it. Truth is, they weren't too far off. Yu rounded the corners of the streets, and after twenty minutes of sprinting and running, he had to slow down. His breathing was fast and heavy, his body unaccustomed to such arduous speeds. His stamina and strength certainly hadn't carried over, as he wagered he might have gone at least thirty before stopping had he been as fit as he used to be.

Yu looked at the nearest street sign and saw that he was almost there. Gathering his strength, he pushed on through the pain and aching of his legs, walking as fast as he could towards the site of Mayumi's body. As he rounded the corner, some morbid glee alit in his heart as he saw the body dangling from the wires of an antenna. He sighed, then reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Quickly, he dialled 110 and put the phone up to his ear.

"This is 110, what has happened?" Yu didn't recognise who it was on the other line, though he supposed that was for the best.

"There's someone strung up in the wires, on 226-1 Iwama. I think they're dead." He said, with a hint of urgency in his voice. 

"We'll have someone sent right away. Please stay put." Yu waited a couple seconds, then hung up and put his phone away. Would this work? The police were on their way already, surely. How would he explain how he got here, in the middle of school no less? He sat down on the curb of the sidewalk as he pondered what his excuse was. He couldn't just say "I'm here so that I'm kidnapped instead of someone else." How about, "I was having a panic attack and needed some fresh air?" He nodded. A bit of a stretch, but good enough. 

A couple more minutes, and a cop car pulled into the street. Its sirens were off, as were the lights. The door opened, and out stepped a police officer. Yu stood up, and the pair exchanged glances before Yu pointed up into the sky, at the body. The officer frowned and shook his head, then spoke into his radio. "One body, confirmed. Requesting additional back up." Yu straightened his shirt out and dusted off his pants as the officer walked towards him.

"Alright, kid. You might be here a while for questioning, but first thing's first. You alright?" Yu was surprised by the officer's concern for his wellbeing, but nodded.

"I'm fine, thanks. Just a little shaken." The officer pulled out a small notepad and a pen, then started to jot information down. Then, he began asking Yu all sorts of questions; when did you first see the body, was there anyone else, what were you doing when you saw the body, name, age, and so on. Yu felt as if he was being interrogated by Dojima in the house; thankfully, a feeling that he was prepared for. 

Yu heard sirens in the distance now, and remembered what had happened before; he and the rest of class had been kept in early, and they'd heard sirens before they were let out. Yosuke was being kicked right between the legs right about now, if memory served right. The policeman seemed satisfied with the number of questions he'd asked, and told him to stay put as he went to get a better look at the body. Yu did just as he was told, and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Dojima and Adachi pull onto the scene.

He really ought to have prepared for this, he realised. Sure, he'd been questioned by Dojima in the house before; but now, he was going to be actually questioned by him at the scene of someone's death. He swallowed down his anxiousness as Dojima stepped out of the car and shut the door. "Yu! What the hell are you doing out of school?" He yelled, eliciting a flinch from the highschooler. 

"I-I was having a panic attack, and needed some fresh air. Sorry." Dojima grumbled at the response, shaking his head. 

"Well, I suppose scolding you right here won't do." Then he went through the largely the same questions that the officer before had asked him, and Yu gave the same answers. He watched as Adachi opened the trunk of the police car they were driving and pulled out a handful of tarps, traffic cones, and rolls of caution tape. Over the next few minutes, more police cars arrived in escort with an ambulance. 

"Adachi! Go ahead and take Yu to the station for questioning, would ya?" Adachi nodded his head and caught the keys that Dojima tossed his way, then beckoned Yu over towards the car they'd showed up in. Yu walked up to the car, then stopped just in front of the door. Was he going in the front, or in the back? 

Adachi laughed at his predicament. "You think we're taking you in as a suspect? Get in front, it's a courtesy ride." Yu nodded, then got in the passenger seat as he was told. Adachi got in, then started the car. "Relax... it'll be the same questions as before, only this time you'll be recorded in the station." Adachi said as he shifted the car into gear, and they were off. 

"You're Dojima-san's nephew, huh? He mentioned you earlier, said you seemed like a nice kid." He chuckled slightly, leaning into the steering wheel slightly. "Guess not, huh? Haha." Yu smirked somewhat at Adachi's joke. It was nice knowing that was what Dojima had thought of him. 

"So, panic attack, huh? Or were you just ditching school?" Yu shook his head in response to Adachi's question. Adachi might have been incompetent, but that didn't give Yu any reason to contradict himself so readily.

"By the end of school, I just felt so... constricted, so anxious. So I left for some fresh air." Adachi nodded his head, stopping the car as they got to an intersection.

"I feel that. New city, new school, it can be pretty scary. Don't worry though; when you're older, everything just kind of is. It isn't scary, isn't sad, just is." Yu looked at Adachi for a few seconds, and wondered for a moment how much he'd say without Dojima here to chide him. He shrugged and kept quiet. "How are you liking Inaba so far? Ahh... maybe that isn't the best thing to ask the witness of a dead body," Adachi mumbled. 

Yu agreed with him, nodding his head. "Dead bodies tend to leave a pretty nasty first impression, I'd say. Aside from that, though, it's been nice." Adachi glanced towards him, looking surprised.

"Eh, really? Don't worry about being nice about Inaba for me, I just got here myself." Adachi groaned, his eyes trailing off the road for a moment. "It's just so empty, so barren." Yu shrugged, looking out the window. For just a second, he spotted Chie and Yukiko walking together down the street. He doubted they saw him, though.

"Mark my words, you'll be so utterly bored that you'll find yourself looking for anything to do." Yu smiled slightly, knowing full well that it wouldn't be the case.

"Thanks for the notice." 

Ten minutes later, Adachi pulled the car into the police station's mostly empty parking lot. "Well, we're here. This shouldn't take too long." Yu nodded, and the pair stepped out of the car. He followed Adachi into the station, glad that it was him doing the questioning and not Dojima. There was a certain air around Adachi that made him seem less intimidating than the average person. Dojima, on the other hand, had the opposite effect. 

Adachi led him into the questioning room, where Yu and the team had once deduced that the killer, or so they thought, was Taro Namatame. Considering what had happened, he honestly wasn't so sure. Adachi shut the door behind them, and Yu sat down in one of the chairs as Adachi fiddled with the recorder. "Ah, here we go." He clicked a button, and Yu heard the machine whizz to life. "Anyways, let's get started. What were you doing when you found the body?" Adachi asked, as he pulled the chair out and sat in it.

"I was walking down the street, getting some fresh air. I saw the body, then phoned the police." Yu had answered these questions twice before, though the room still unnerved him. 

Adachi went through the routine of asking every relevant question he could think of, as well as confirming what the other officer had written down on the notepad. It was a fifteen-minute exchange of answers and questions going back and forth, much longer than it was the first two times. Finally, Adachi stood up and turned off the recorder. 

"Well, that about does it. If you think of anything else, well... you can probably just tell Dojima-san, if he doesn't grill it out of you beforehand." He laughed slightly, though Yu knew that Dojima could very easily do just that. He followed the greenhorn detective out of the room, and stood in the main lobby of the police station for a brief while, gathering his thoughts before leaving. All that was left was to be interviewed, right? With this in mind, Yu left the police station, looking for any news crew or interviewer that might follow him.


	3. Shock

Yu had made it home without any interviewers or reporters approaching him, and when no interview was shown on TV, he figured it was safe to leave that for tomorrow. He was tired, his body still fatigued from the trip and his mind was exhausted from the questioning. He said goodnight to Nanako, then made his way up the stairs and flopped face-first into his futon. 

It was early morning when he woke up, so he got dressed and headed downstairs. Nothing in the fridge caught his eye, so he checked the pantry cabinet and pulled out some cereal to eat. After yesterday, much of his concern over Konishi had been abated; although, now he'd have to deal with Mr. Morooka at the beginning of class. Yu said his prayers, then left the house early. 

Making use of his time before school, he stopped by the Shiroku Store to pick up some personal supplies, a Goho-M, and some medicine with what little money he had. Placing them all in his leather bag, he started towards Yasogami. It was a cool morning today, one that almost made him contemplate buttoning up his shirt. Almost. His body heat would have to suffer for his style. 

He passed by only a handful of his fellow students on his way through town, though none of them were part of the team. Yu sighed, wondering if they'd even need a team; no, who was he kidding? Of course they would. Mayumi wouldn't die for nothing; he'd make sure of it. He sighed again as he turned onto Samegawa. Just a short ways, now.

Yu had spotted the pile of trash for further ahead this time, and looked back at Yosuke as he sped towards him on his bike. Yu held his hand up, hoping to catch his attention and stop him; Yosuke did not, and once again crashed into the heap of trash. Yu suppressed a smile as he walked over to Yosuke as he rolled around violently in the empty trash can he'd landed in. "S-Someone," Yosuke uttered, and Yu bent over to free him from his plastic confines. 

Yosuke only noticed who his saviour was when he was stood up, and he looked Yu in the face. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks!" He glanced towards his backpack. "Hey, you're that transfer student. Narukami, right? I've got your stuff." Yu took the handouts and materials he'd gotten yesterday in class from Yosuke, and put them in his bag. "What was with you, yesterday?"

Yu looked away, unsure of quite how to answer that. "I... had something that I had to do. Thanks, by the way." Looking at him now, Yu could hardly see the face and personality of a murderer. Oh, how he longed to never see that side of Yosuke again. Yu blinked, realizing he was losing himself to his thoughts again. 

"I'm Hanamura Yosuke. Nice to meet ya," he said, and Yu nodded. 

"Are you good?" Yu asked, looking his old friend over.

"Oh yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just a couple bumps and bruises, nothing serious." Yosuke smiled as if to emphasize his health, and Yu couldn't help but smile back. "Say, did you hear about that incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!" Yosuke exclaimed, and Yu looked away again.

"Oh, I heard about it, alright." Yosuke raised an eyebrow at his response before shrugging it off. Yu motioned for him to follow as he started towards school, not wanting to be late so soon after walking right out of class. 

Yosuke followed behind him, still talking. "You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident." A warning, huh?

"Maybe. Yeah, you might be right." Yu didn't think too much about how he answered things; maybe he shouldn't, so long as he didn't put his foot in his mouth. 

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that... That's just messed up." Yu nodded, and adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. "Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." 

Yu hated the contrast between his latest memories of Yosuke. Here he was, talking about how murder was messed up; the last time he'd spoken with Yosuke, he was advocating for the murder of Namatame. Yu shuddered at the thought that things would come back around to that. "Hey, you okay?" Yosuke's voice was mingled with concern. 

"I... Yeah. I'm fine," Yu said, looking back towards Yosuke with a slight smile on his face. He nodded, and the two headed the rest of the way to school in silence. It was funny, Yu noted. He had faced all sorts of mythical and fantastical creatures in the TV World, and came out of it alive despite all odds. And yet, despite this, he felt fear creep up to his heart as they neared the Yasogami Gate. Fear for what Mr. Morooka might say to him. 

Yu sighed as he stepped into the school building, and he wasted no time in getting to the classroom. He was glad that Yosuke had come through for him, for it meant he wouldn't have to bargain with Mr. Morooka for everything back. Only god knows what he might have asked for in return, especially from the transfer student who skipped out early on the first day of class. "Narukami!" He heard from behind, and he turned around to face the demon that was Mr. Morooka approaching at high speeds. "Get your ass down to the faculty office right now!" He shouted again, before walking past him and into the classroom. 

Yu sighed, certainly having a rougher start than he did before. At this point, he thought, it didn't really matter whether this was a dream. He'd been here for two days, and he could easily be here for longer. Not to mention that people usually had control over his dreams, didn't they? Aside from his own agency, Yu didn't have much of that. He stepped into the faculty office and found himself staring down the Yasogami principal almost immediately. What a shit storm he was in, then.

"Ah... Narukami, was it?" He was an old, almost decrepit man, with a short figure no doubt made shorter by his back and posture. "A word with you, please." Yu nodded, doing his best not to come off as hostile. He followed him into a separate office, where the principal sat down at a nice looking desk. "I'm sure you know what we're talking about, yes?"

Yu nodded again. "I believe so."

The principal took a deep breath before speaking again. "I don't know what the etiquette was at your old school, nor do I know what the expectations of its students were. However, I do know that leaving class without permission, explanation, or even so much as a farewell does not fall under any of our guidelines here at Yasogami." Yu felt himself blush with embarrassment, hating to have offended what the principal, who seemed to be a surprisingly kind man. "Might I ask why you felt compelled to leave in such a manner?"

Yu thought for a moment how he wanted to respond, then went with what he'd told the police. The principal sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Next time, please just go to the nurse's office, then. Okay?" Yu nodded shortly, hoping that would be all. "Head back to class, then."

Yu quickly paced out of the faculty office, headed upstairs after narrowly dodging what felt like a bullet. Dojima would have had some cross words with him, more so than he already did, if he managed to get suspended on his second day of school. Yu silently walked into the classroom, noting Morooka's angry glare. He glanced over towards Chie's desk, and began pulling out the relevant books and papers as the lecture continued. 

He heard murmurs and whispers around the classroom, hearing either his name or transfer student in most of them. Morooka's eyes narrowed even further at the noise. "Be quiet, you idiots!" He shouted, addressing the class in the harsh tone he reserved for people who had truly wronged him. "You guys ARE in high school, aren't you?! Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense?" Yu did his best to look impassively around the room, and although he'd lived through each one of Morooka's rants before, it made them no less scary.

"First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice, I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes whilst I'm at it! Aren't you honoured?!" Yu suppressed a grin, still unsure of how serious he was with that remark. He'd wondered before, but never quite came up with an answer. "I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that're curious about the murder!"

That probably applied even to him, who'd discovered it, Yu thought. "Now flip over to page fifty in your books, I'm changing the lecture!" The sounds of papers flipping and folding filled the room as Yu found the page in the flat workbook. The rest of class took a somewhat different turn as Morooka gave a lecture on the importance of a quiet, focused learning environment. Yu found the juxtaposition humourous, wondering if anyone could possibly find Morooka as anything close to conducting a quiet and focused environment. 

Yu made sure to keep his head out of trouble for the rest of school that day, for he no doubt already had a spot on Morooka's shit list. He'd just put the last of his papers away when he heard Yosuke walk up behind him. "So, you getting used to this place yet?" Yu smiled and looked up at him.

"Yeah." It would have taken a conscious effort not to, considering he'd lived here for a year. Even if the last four months had... Yu stopped himself before he got stuck wallowing in the memories of after December.

"Wow, that was fast." Yosuke said, amused at his answer. Yu shrugged, offering no explanation. "There's not much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something, that you can't get anywhere else." Yu nodded, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. The familiar people, the same sights, the presence of nature in most parts of the town. 

"The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man!" Yosuke exclaimed with a smile, "like that's anything special, huh?" Yu nodded in response, standing up to sit on the desk of his chair. "I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me." 

Yu had just opened his mouth to speak when Chie interrupted him. "What about me, huh? No apologies for my Trial of the Dragon?" Yosuke winced at the reminder of yesterday's incident, and Yu gathered it had happened much the same way he remembered it. 

"Urgh... You always come around when I'm talking about food," Yosuke said, trailing off for a couple seconds. Yu felt a smile creeping onto his face, realizing just how much he'd missed the company of the team, of his friends. 

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Yosuke's discomfort at the bill grew as it doubled, then seemingly tripled in the matter of seconds. 

"I'll pass," Yukiko said, standing up with her bag behind her legs. "I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway." He heard Yosuke let out a sigh of relief, and Chie nodded. 

"Wow, Amagi! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke said, a teasing hint in his voice. 

"It's not like that... I'm just helping out when it gets busy." Yu saw the downtrodden look on her face for the second it was there, before her features brightened. "Well, I should be on my way." They watched her leave, and Yu turned to the other two. 

"Oh well. We should get going too." Yosuke nodded and Yu got off his chair, and they left for the Junes shopping center. Chie and Yosuke explained to him that Yukiko was the daughter of the manager at the Amagi Inn, which as close to famous as Inaba got. He nodded along with everything they said, remembering the details well enough for them to be familiar. 

"So, Narukami." Yu turned to face Chie as she changed the subject. "How come you transferred to Yasogami High?" Ah, this question again.

"My parents are working overseas, so I'm staying with my uncle." Chie let out an amused 'ahhh' of realization.

Then she laughed. "That's it? Wow, I thought it was something a lot more serious than that!" Yu chuckled, watching Yosuke crack up as well. He shook his head, affirming his answer. Yosuke and Chie exchanged small talk as they walked, with Yu mostly content with just listening to them. They were two-thirds of the way there when someone called out his name, and he turned to watch as the interview crew came up towards him.

"Hey! You're Narukami Yu, correct?" One of them asked, stopping just in front of him. Yu looked between the cameraman and his friends, then nodded. 

"Sure am. Give me a couple minutes, okay?" He asked, looking towards Yosuke and Chie. They were perplexed, but nodded. He watched as the cameraman positioned himself so that only Yu was in frame, before the reporter started the interview.

"What was going on in your mind when you saw the body? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?" How much should he say? Well, Dojima would probably chew him out anyways. He leaned forwards to speak into the microphone the reporter nearly pushed into his face.

"I was getting some fresh air, so I guess when I saw her, it was pretty sobering, followed by a feeling that something was wrong." Yeah, that worked. "I didn't see her move at all when I was waiting for the police, so I guess it was safe to say she was dead." 

The reporter pulled the mic back to speak into it himself. "Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" Well, shit; a surprisingly relevant question.

Nonetheless, Yu shrugged. "I don't think the fog had anything to do with it," he stated. The less stigma about the fog, the better.

"On to the next question," the reporter continued, glancing at the palm of his hand. "Did you see anyone suspicious around the area?"

Well, if there was one answer that Dojima would tear him a new one for, it was this one. "No, I don't think I saw anyone. But who knows how long she was there?"

"You seem pretty calm about this whole body deal. How come?" Yu swallowed, unsure of how to answer for a couple of seconds.

His eyes darted from the microphone to the camera a few times before he managed to come up with something. "It's already been a day, so I guess I've just come to peace with it. With the fact that I saw a body, that is." The reporter nodded along, and looked at the camera. 

"Well, I think that's all we really need for an interview." Yu heard a click as the camera operator pushed a button on the camera rig, then watched as the pair hurried off the same way that they came. He looked back to Chie and Yosuke, who still were in a state of shock.

"You... you were the one who saw the body?" Yosuke asked, speaking before anyone else. Yu nodded, causing him to suck air in through his lips. "Shit... sorry about bringing it up this morning, then."

"No worries. Let's go get steak," Yu replied, and walked past Chie and Yosuke. Everything was going according to plan. He'd been interviewed, meaning he would show up on the news later tonight. Ah... Dojima sure was going to tear into him for that interview, though. 

He'd made it a dozen or so feet past the two before Yosuke spoke up. "Uh, dude. Do you know where we're going?" Yu stopped, then smiled nervously as he looked back.

Yosuke hadn't said they were going to Junes yet. "No, I guess not." Yosuke nodded slowly, and the rest of the way there was filled with silence. Chie looked around the main lobby of the Junes store as they walked in through the glass doors, putting a hand on her side but saying nothing. They followed Yosuke into the elevator, and a minute later he directed them towards a table as he walked towards one of the shops.

"Sorry for kind of killing the mood with that interview," Yu said, looking towards Chie as he relaxed into the back of his chair. She jumped slightly at his voice, looking back quickly.

She shook her head. "No, no, don't worry about it," she said rapidly, "it's not like they would have taken no for an answer anyways." Yu nodded, then watched her expression shift into a pout as Yosuke came over with a plate of food in his hands. 

"This is the cheap place you were talking about? They don't have grilled steak here." Yosuke shrugged as he set the dish on the table, pushing it towards Yu and Chie. 

He leered at Chie as he answered. "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Yu vaguely listened to the two of them bicker as he leaned forwards and grabbed one of the dishes of food, beginning to eat as they argued. 

Yosuke looked over at him as he started eating. "Eager, huh?" he said with a laugh, and grabbed a soda from the plate and began to drink. Chie grabbed her own dish and started eating, though she possessed more gusto than Yu did. "Well, eat up. Think of it as your welcome into Inaba." Yu nodded, then continued eating. Their conversation, rejuvenated from the silence it had become on their way to Junes, drifted mostly towards Yu and his background. It was odd, telling them all of it, considering he'd told them all once before.

Yu finished his food some time after Chie, and she spoke up soon after. "You know, it's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district as much since." Yu looked at her, sensing she was about to broach a sensitive topic. 

"Surely there's something there that they don't sell at Junes, right?" He watched the two ponder the question for a moment, and Chie nodded her head quickly after a little thought.

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed, "there's that one art store that they have? Daidara, or something?" Yosuke nodded as well, and Yu was amused as they referred to the shop as an art store. If art were an entire selection of real weapons, including guns, sure. 

Yosuke crossed his arms as he reclined back, facing Chie. "See?" he said, "Junes hasn't cornered every market." Neither of them said anything, and Yu took a sip of his drink before almost spitting his soda back into the cup. Over there in the distance was Konishi, wearing her Junes uniform. Shit, explaining yesterday was something he hadn't thought about. "Hey... It's Konishi-senpai!" Yosuke exclaimed, and got out of his chair to walk over towards her. 

What could he say to her? Obviously "I was beating you to the scene of a murder" wouldn't work, and neither would the vaguer "there was something you couldn't see." Maybe he was just spouting random bullshit? Yeah, that'd have to do. Konishi and Yosuke were walking over now, and she was headed straight for him.

Konishi stood in front of him, looking down as he sat in his chair. "You're the transfer student, right?" Yu nodded, feeling somewhat meek as his anxiety dreaded her next words. "What was with yesterday?"

Yu bit the corner of his cheek, thinking about how he wanted to explain himself for a second. Yosuke and Chie looked at him, confused as to what was going on. "Sorry about that. I... I was having a panic attack, and sometimes whatever comes out of my mouth, well, comes out of my mouth." Konishi looked at him, somewhat worried but understanding nonetheless. "I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

She shook her head, and Yosuke used the ensuing silence to butt in. "Did something happen between the two of you?" She shook her head again, looking back towards him. 

"He was about to leave when I left early, and when we were outside he told me to wait." Yu grumbled, memories of the panic he'd felt coming back to him. Not quite a panic attack, but arguably more than highly concerned or anxious. "Anyways, enough of that. It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh?" Thank god the conversation shifted topics. He nodded, looking over towards Yosuke. "I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much, so I hope you two get along well." Yosuke opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Yu gave him a reassuring smile and a nod, then took another sip of his soda. 

"Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you." Yosuke blushed slightly in response to that, casting his gaze away from him and Konishi. 

Yu shook his head, though. "Nah. He's a great guy." Konishi laughed, glancing back towards him.

"Ah, I know... I'm just kidding." She looked over at one of the clocks on the rooftop. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go..." she said, then walked away. "Laters!" 

"Oh, uh Senpai-" Yosuke stammered out, but stopped when he realized she was too far away to hear him. He sat back down, slouching dejectedly for a few seconds before straightening up. "Haha, Koni-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me," he said, smiling. "She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way..."

Chie took his trailing off as an opportunity to speak herself. "Ohhh, you don't want her treating you like her little brother, huh? So that's how it is..." Yu watched the pair amusedly as he took a drink from his soda, and realized he was down to the last of it.

"Have you ever heard of the Midnight Channel?" Chie asked, dragging Yu's attention back towards their conversation in full. "You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night." Yu leaned forwards, listening to her story. "Whilst you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen..." Yosuke raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "And they say that person's your soulmate." 

Yosuke groaned, tapping his foot on the tile floor of the court. "What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful..." He sighed, then drank down some more of his soda. "How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh?!" Chie exclaimed, frowning bitterly. "You don't be-"

"I tried it, you know." Yu interrupted her before she got too escalated, and caught both of them by surprise.

Chie leaned forwards towards him, practically at the edge of her seat. "R-Really? Did you see anyone?" She spoke fast and somewhat anxiously, and he doubted that she expected to be confirmed so readily. Yu nodded, and she sat back in her chair before looking at Yosuke, a smug grin on her face. "So, do you believe me now?" 

Yosuke glanced between the two others, and Yu noted that he looked somewhat betrayed as he looked at him. "O-Okay, fine. Maybe I do. Why don't we watch it tonight, huh? It's raining tonight, isn't it?" Yu nodded and finished off the last of his soda. 

"Deal," Chie said, and looked at Yu with a sense of gratitude about her. Yu smiled at her, then stood up to throw his cup away. 

Yosuke was looking right at him when he sat down. "Hey, Narukami? Are you... okay to talk about what happened yesterday?" Yu looked at him, then nodded. "Then, what do you guys think about it? Do you think it was murder...? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around?" He laughed childishly to himself, earning a glare from Chie. 

She sighed, rolling her eyes and frowning at him. "Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one?" Yu nodded in agreeance, and the three left soon after. It was mid-afternoon, and he headed straight home. He spotted a few of his class members around town, though thankfully none of them seemed interested in pestering him about the murder. Though, they largely should have had no reason to, considering the interview was yet to air. 

It was beginning to drizzle when he got home, and he heard Nanako singing the Junes jingle to herself. Had there always been an extended version? He shrugged, and opened the gate into the backyard and headed deeper in. Nanako was taking the laundry down, and she'd just pulled off the last piece of clothing when Yu stepped around the corner. "Oh, hi." Yu nodded in greeting, and picked up the laundry basket. "Thanks," Nanako said, and he followed her into the house. He set the basket down next to the wall, then headed upstairs to unpack all of his work for the day and got to it.

Every question to him was familiar, both a blessing and a curse when he considered it. Every question was easy, and although the answers flowed from his hands they came without a sense of completion or satisfaction. Yu groaned and reached for his phone to text Yosuke and lament to him, but realized that he didn't have his number yet. Damn. A lapse in concentration made him realize how heavy it was raining outside now, the constant sound of rain hitting the window and the roof almost oppressive. It was soothing, though, and he got back to work. Once he'd finished, he fell onto his futon and slept. 

He woke to a knock at the door, followed by Nanako's muffled voice. "Dinner." Yu rubbed his eyes as he walked over to the door, and made his way down the steps quickly. There was an assortment of boxes and dishes out, along with two large bowls of rice on the table. He washed his hands, then sat down on the purple cushion set out for him. They ate in silence for a short while, and though he was tempted to say something, he wasn't sure what he could say. 

The front door slid open before he thought of anything. "Oh! He's home!" Nanako exclaimed, quickly standing up to greet him at the front door. Yu looked behind him, still holding the bowl of rice in his off-hand. 

"Good grief," Dojima muttered, draping his coat over the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen. "I'm back. Did anything happen whilst I was out?" Yu saw how he looked at him, and cringed slightly in response to it. 

Nanako shook her head. "No. You're late again," she complained, pouting at Dojima. He looked at her, wounded. 

"Sorry, sorry. Been busy at work." Yu got back to his food, putting rice and egg in his mouth before he put his foot in his mouth in response to Dojima's excuse. "Can you put the news on for me?" Yu began to say his prayers as Nanako sat down and turned the channel to the news.

"Next, more details regarding the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba." Yu listened to the broadcast go over the details so far in a brief summary as he ate. "In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body." There it was.

"Eh?!" Dojima exclaimed, looking at Yu as he shrunk into his skin. "You seriously let them interview you?" He nodded meekly, and Dojima groaned as he watched the interview. Yu didn't bother listening to his own answers, and was glad when it was over. Dojima let out a heavy sigh that mixed into a groan. "Well, at least there wasn't anything too bad in it." Yu nodded, then prayed in hope of getting away without a harsh lecture. He still remembered the time that Dojima lectured him for going out at night to buy radish...

He finished his dinner quickly, and only realized that Dojima had fallen asleep when he stood up to clean up after himself. "Hey Dad... Can we go to Junes together sometime?" Nanako asked, still looking at the screen. 

Yu figured he wouldn't wake up, and cleared his throat. "You and I can go." He said, his heart hopeful. He missed being close with his sister.

Nanako smiled, warming his heart and briefly washing away his anxieties. "Really? Yay!" Yu smiled at her and nodded, then turned away to hide the grin that stretched from one side of his face to the other. He yawned and covered his mouth with his hand, then headed up the stairs. He wished he could go to bed now, like Dojima had, but he needed to see something first. 

A part of him debated giving Yosuke or Chie a call, though he knew that he wouldn't have an answer to how he got their number. Once in his room, he reclined into his sofa again and waited, mulling over the facts in his brain. Unfortunately, those were in rather short supply ever since he boarded the train bound from Inaba. And that train accident Dojima had talked about... What was with that?

He groaned, not knowing the answer to any of it, and settled in for the next three hours of waiting until midnight.


	4. Entrapment

"Your soulmate appears if you look into a TV on a rainy night, huh?" Yu laughed at Chie's retelling of the rumour, though it was bittersweet with the true context behind the Midnight Channel. The rain had picked up, with thunder booming in the background. Well, it was the moment of truth now, as the clock ticked over to just a minute until midnight. Would he show up on the TV? God, he hoped he would.

Yu got off the couch, almost half delirious from exhaustion. The stress was getting to him, he thought, or perhaps the exhaustion from last year still lingered inside of him. He leaned in towards the TV, eyeing his reflection. The bags under his eyes were nearly the defining feature of his face, and try as he might, blinking did nothing to rid him of them. He jumped when the TV screen lit up with beige static, though he quickly calmed down. 

His vision sharpened as he focused on the TV in front of him, and within seconds the clear image of him came into view. It was almost surreal, seeing himself show up on the Midnight Channel. He winced as the ringing in his head came back. "I am thou... Thou art I." He braced himself on his dresser, letting the pain pass through his head. "Thou art the one... who opens the door..." An aching pain lingered in his head as the voice faded away, leaving his breathing heavy and laboured. Damn, this hurt more than he remembered. 

In time, the pain faded away, leaving his senses with nothing but the rain, thunder, and dresser he was currently slouched on. Yu walked over to his futon, collapsed onto it, then passed out. 

The next morning was more reminiscent of the routine that he'd grown to miss so much. Nanako would wake him up for breakfast, and he'd head downstairs to eat and talk with her for a while. When they were done, he took a quick shower and got dressed before heading to school. 

"Perfect timing!" Chie shouted from behind him, as he walked the Samegawa trail. "Sorry, move over!" She ducked under his umbrella, and he shifted it to cover the two of them. 

"Don't have an umbrella?" He asked, as they started walking again.

Chie shook her head. "I did have my own, but I saw this kung fu movie where they used an umbrella to pull off some sweet moves..." Yu shook his head out of sheer disappointment. He wasn't surprised. "And... I accidentally broke mine trying to mimic the movie." 

"By the way... did you... see it?" Yu looked at her and nodded. "Aha, do tell. But the person it showed..."

Did she think...? "N-Never mind." Suddenly Chie stopped, and Yu stopped with her so she wouldn't get drenched by the rain. "Oh, u-uhh... I-It's kinda awkward to only bring this up now, but... we're pretty close here..." Yu suppressed a smile at her antics and mannerisms; he'd missed seeing them sorely. "U-Um, I'm gonna just go ahead and run the rest of the way!"

Yu shook his head. "You'll catch a cold," he warned, gesturing to the rain pounding down all around them. 

"Oh... R-Right. Good point! If I catch a cold, it could spread... and that'd suck for everyone!" she exclaimed, and stepped fully under the umbrella again. "Yeah, I think I'll keep going with you." Chie laughed, and he smiled in response. She was too damn cute. Hell, everyone was. "Alright, let's go." Yu nodded, and they walked the rest of the way to school together. 

Yu dropped his bag next to the desk, finally glad to be rid of the menacing presence of Mr. Morooka. It was a history class today, which meant that Ms. Sofue would be here any second now. He pulled out his booklet and pens, then looked towards the front of the room when Queen Tut walked into the room. He absent-mindedly took notes on everything she said, his thoughts occupied elsewhere. What would happen today? Would he get thrown into the TV, or would something else happen?

Moreover, what would happen tomorrow, and the day after that? Would the kidnappings even happen? No, he was sure on that regards. There hadn't been anything severe enough to prevent Namatame from abducting everyone. "Our transferee, Mr. Narukami, please stand up." He stood up almost on muscle memory in response to the call. "The western calendar is based on Anno Domini..." Ah, this question again. 

Yu waited for her to finish asking the question before stating, perhaps a little too loudly, "1 BC." He sat back down as she explained the why and how of the lack of a year zero, returning to his thoughts. Even though he'd gone through the whole next year and had all the knowledge from it, there still wasn't enough he knew. Namatame had been the kidnapper, that much was certain. His shadow had even said so itself, during that dreaded night in the hospital. 

"Narukami, are you okay? You look a little pale." Chie's voice served as an icebreaker that drove through his line of thought and startled him in one. He looked over at her, then nodded to reassure her. The rest of class passed without incident, and Yu kept himself from thinking too hard about the case, lest he fall into such a visibly pained state again. He could hear the students around him gossiping about the murder as he packed his bag; honestly, he was surprised none of them came up to speak with him. 

"My senpai told me it was Narukami who found the body," one of them said, and Yu felt their stares from across the room. Perhaps he'd thought too soon. 

"Y-Yo. Um..." Yosuke stuttered out, his voice ripe with confusion and anxiousness. Yu looked up at him, meeting his eyes for just a second before Yosuke looked away. 

Did the Midnight Channel really have that profound an effect on him? "Something wrong?"

Yosuke took no time waiting to shake his head. "It's, uh, it's not really that important, but... Well, yesterday on TV, I..." Yu nodded his head, gesturing for him to go on. "Oh, uhh... Never mind. Look, I'll tell you later." He laughed nervously, and they turned their attention to Chie as she walked towards them. 

Neither Chie nor Yosuke said anything before Yukiko stood up. "Huh? Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?" She nodded apologetically. 

"Things are really out of hand right now... I'm sorry." The three of them nodded, Yu understanding her plight as she left. Yamano had caused some issues whilst she was there, if he remembered correctly. 

Yosuke was the first to talk. "Is it just me, or does Amagi seem way stressed out today?" Chie and Yu nodded in agreeance.

"By the way, did you see... it... last night?" Chie asked, looking towards Yosuke. He hurriedly looked around the room, as if hoping there was someone to save him from this conversation. 

Damn, the Midnight Channel really did have a profound effect on him. "Uh, well... What about you?"

"I did!" Chie almost shouted her answer out, but regained her composure. "And he looked so familiar, too!" Yu bit back a grin as he stood up, standing at more or less equal height with the other two. "I couldn't quite tell who it was... His hair was grey, and he was wearing our school uniform, and..."

"H-Hey... I think that's the same..." Yosuke's voice gave out, preventing him from saying anything else. "I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier." 

"Wait, so you saw it too!?" Chie exclaimed, "And we saw the same guy...? Does that mean... we have the same soulmate?" Then she looked at Yosuke funnily, and opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted.

Yosuke had a look of almost genuine concern on his face as he spoke. "I don't care if we have the same soulmate, why's it got to be a guy?!" He exclaimed, and Yu snickered out loud. "How 'bout you, Narukami? Did you see..." Yosuke trailed off, and Chie said nothing as they both studied his face. Yu watched as they quickly hurried over into the corner of the room, whispering amongst themselves. Yu sat down on his desk and smiled as they continuously glanced back at him, their whispers becoming more and more heated and energetic as time went on.

After nearly a minute of conversation, Yosuke cleared his throat and walked back over to Yu. "So, Narukami... What did you see?" 

He shrugged. "I saw someone, but I couldn't make out any features. Sorry." Yosuke and Chie frowned, looking down for a second. 

"Well, it'd be pretty weird to be your own soulmate, wouldn't it?" Yu nodded, and the three waited in silence. "Oh, yeah! Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV recently," Chie said, looking towards Yosuke for advice.

"Oh yeah? Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month." Chie nodded, then grabbed her bag. "Wanna come with us, Narukami?"

"Sure," he said, and soon the three were headed for Junes. The rain had hardly let up, and Chie, though reluctantly, buddied up with Yu under his umbrella again. They made small talk as they walked to Junes, and halfway there the rain stopped. Chie quickly stepped out from under his umbrella and just ahead of the group, now that the rain had subsided.

There was a delivery truck just up ahead on the street. Memories of the night where they'd figured out the killer, and Dojima had chased after and... 

"Excuse me, young man?" Yu heard a voice behind him, and turned around to see none other than Namatame. It must have been his truck, then, the very one he'd taken Nanako in. His hand clenched into a fist at the thought. "I need to talk to you- I-It's important." 

Yu leered at him. "What do you want?" He asked, his voice almost that of a snarl. Namatame was surprised by his hostility, but undeterred.

He was holding a package in his hand, just a small parcel. "Please, be careful." What? Namatame was telling him... to be careful? Yosuke and Chie looked at Namatame as well, curious as to what was going on. "I-I have to go now. Please- c-careful!" Yu watched as he hurried past him and into the driver's seat of the truck.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted, but Namatame drove off before Yu could ask him anything else. Damn it. 

"What was that about?" Yosuke asked, watching the truck drive off before looking back at Yu. He looked concerned, and rightfully so; a random delivery truck driver had told his friend to be careful before driving off.

Yu shrugged, not quite knowing himself. "I guess he saw me on TV, and thought I should be careful?" Yamano and Namatame had just had an affair, so... He'd have to think about it later. "Anyways, let's just get to Junes." The others nodded, and they left.

Yu had arrived at Junes with the others, and the three were waiting for the elevator when his phone started to ring. He nodded towards Chie and Yosuke, then stepped away to take the call. "Hello? Narukami?" It was Adachi. "I got your phone number from Dojima-san," he said.

"Yes, hello? Do you need anything?" 

"We need you at the station for more questioning. Sorry, but it's important." Yu sighed as glanced over towards Chie and Yosuke.

"Sure, I can come in. I'll be there in a bit." He looked over towards Chie and Yosuke, who looked somewhat down. "Sorry, I've got to go. See you two later." With that, Yu left the store. At least this time, he'd be able to walk and think to himself. First, he got everything that happened last time in order. Yamano and Konishi died, they discovered the TV World, and then they rescued the others. They figured out that Namatame had been the one kidnapping and throwing them into the TV, and he was then caught and apprehended. Then it all stopped, and the town was shrouded in fog until he left.

He remembered the panic that the fog had created. Gas masks and people running around, shouting at people who didn't have them became usual for a while, before everyone seemed to accept it and move on. Rescuing Nanako had been a blur for him, hatred within the TV World and despair outside it. He hardly even remembered the fight with his shadow, the most memorable part of it being when he brought Nanako out and dragged Namatame into the hospital. 

But that didn't have to happen, this time. He knew who Namatame was, and could stop him before anything happened, and yet... when he spoke to him earlier, there didn't seem to be any hostile intent in him. Hell, he was more aggressive than Namatame was. He'd have to speak with him again, when he got the chance. Maybe even before Yukiko got thrown in. Yu nodded to himself as he came upon the Inaba Police Station, and it was the last thing he could remember before he woke up in Yasogami High. 

\---

His shoulder throbbed with a dull aching pain as he looked around. What just happened? It looked like he was in his classroom, only everything was dark, and obscured with a thick yellow haze...

His heart was seized by palpitations as he realized where he was. How could he have gotten here? This wasn't the backlot, either. It felt like there was something pinched in his temple, an ever-present headache that didn't seem willing to go away. His bag wasn't far away, and he quickly grabbed it and looked inside. The Goho-M and the medicine were inside, as well as all of his schoolwork, but no weapon of any sort. He groaned, then stood up.

The classroom was mostly how it should have been, only the chairs were more disorderly than they should have been and the chalkboard had been poorly erased. He tried summoning Izanagi, but was met with nothing. Yu crept towards one of the classroom doors, and slowly opened it. When it was opened wide enough to poke his head through, he peeked out and saw a shadow lumbering down the hallway. 

Well, shit. He eyed the Goho-M in his bag, though he doubted it would take him anywhere other than just in his room. How had Teddie described them to him? If he remembered correctly, they were charms associated with wayfinding and safe travels, which were given the power to return to safety inside the TV. This room looked safe enough to qualify for that, given the lack of shadows. 

Yu sat down on his desk, knowing he needed to come up with an idea soon, before the fog started to clear and he was stuck knee-deep in shadows without a Persona to protect himself with. If only he'd put more effort into actually training with Chie, and not just helping her out. Though, Kanji had done well with a Yasogami Chair for a while, hadn't he? Yu tried to pick one of the vacant chairs up but had no luck. It was stuck to the floor and refused to budge. 

This wasn't it, was it? He didn't just get himself killed? His mouth dried up, and he wished he at least had a soda to distract him from the terrible gut feeling he had, dread threatening to consume him. He could hear the shambling of the shadows just outside as if daring him to go out, do his best, and inevitably fail. "So you admit it, then?" He whipped his head around to face the source of the noise, and found himself staring down... himself. His other's eyes were stained yellow, exaggerated by the fog. "You admit that you're helpless."

Yu opened his mouth to speak, though no words came out of his mouth. "Ever since you found yourself here, back in this spring again, you've felt helpless and meaningless. You couldn't save Nanako last time, and left her in critical condition." He grimaced, whilst he grinned. "What will it be this time, Yu? Will she die?" 

"Shut up!" He shouted out, glaring towards himself. "I won't let that happen. Not again..." His shadow laughed, only contributing to his irritation.

"But you know it, don't you? These memories won't change anything, and even if you could, you just squandered it all by letting yourself get pushed in." Yu was about to deny the accusation, before realizing that was exactly what it wanted. What he wanted. He tried to steady his breathing as he looked himself in the eyes. 

"Well, so what?" His grin didn't fade, though the anticipating leer lessened slightly. "Even if I don't change anything, I'll be satisfied."

"But will you?" he interrupted, "will you truly be satisfied?" Yu thought for a moment longer on his words.

Finally, he nodded. "I will. Maybe not happy, but at least satisfied, with the knowledge that I did my best. Because if my best isn't enough, then what could I have done?" He got off the desk and walked towards himself, standing just a few feet from the teacher's desk. "So what if I fail? I failed anyway, and there isn't much that could go worse." He laughed, and he laughed.

"So, you actually admit it, then." Yu knew there was no point in fighting it, and no point to fighting himself. Denying it would either delay his inevitable acceptance of it, or end up with him dead. Then he'd have just proved himself right. Yu watched his Shadow Self hop off the desk, before being consumed by a bright blue light. In front of him, now, was Izanagi. He smiled at the calmingly familiar figure, before pulling it back into his self. 

Yu retrieved his bag, then headed over towards the door. He didn't have much time to get out of here, for the fog's clearing would likely spell his death. The shadow in the hall outside was pacing away him, some sort of Drive shadow. Though, where the Drives he'd seen before were mostly made of metal, this one was made of wood. Yu stepped out of the classroom and summoned Izanagi, recoiling slightly from the physical stagger of his separation. He hadn't been this powerful before, had he? No, he had... Izanagi was just as strong as he was when he left Inaba.

This should be easy, then. Willing it forwards, Izanagi shot towards the shadow and impaled it on his spear. It was enough for the shadow to dematerialize, fading away into the nothingness of the void. He could feel Izanagi's power as he hurried down the hall, his aura a noticeable presence behind him. Last time, he had mostly made use of other Personas; maybe this time he ought to give Izanagi the fights he deserved.

Yu hurried down the Yasogami stairwell and found himself face to face with two white and yellow Hableries. Again, Izanagi made short work of them, cleaving their bodies apart and even shattering the mask of one of them. He didn't bother to pick up anything they could have left behind this time; he didn't have the time. Yu's chest constricted itself and his limbs felt sluggish by the time he made it down the next four floors, the fog constantly sapping away at his strength. His breathing had become laboured, and he reached into his bag's pocket to pull out a bottle full of medicinal supplies. 

He could treat all sorts of basic, minor injuries with it, but the only issue so far was his stamina, and so he took the small painkiller tablet and put it back inside. At last, he could make out the shoe lockers in the fog. He rushed forwards, and when he tried the door he screamed out with exasperation as it refused to budge. Izanagi's blade recoiled back from it, hardly scratching the surface of the door when he willed him to attack. He needed a key, so...

Yu started towards the faculty office, sending Izanagi forth to clear the way of the small, inferior shadows as he ran. It was just as messy in the office as usual, only this time there were various bloodstains around the room. His eyes, as they searched for any sort of key, were focused onto a large shadow on the other side of the room. It looked like a Fuzz, only it lacked the police officer motif, the key inside its stomach was much smaller, and it wore a striped purple suit with a checkered yellow tie-

The clicking of the revolver in its hand brought Yu's attention back to the fight, and he summoned Izanagi back out. The loud, flat sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, and left him with an ache in his stomach. Izanagi must have taken the shot, for thankfully there was no blood when he checked himself. "Izanagi!" He cried out, and watched as his Persona darted forwards and swung his spear into the side of the Kinshiro Shadow. It tore into its suit and cut into its flesh, but didn't take it down. He watched from behind one of the tables as the shadow swung its pistol at Izanagi, only to have it knocked out of its grip by the blunt end of his spear. 

Now that it was disarmed, Izanagi began to hack and slash at the shadow, its strength quickly deteriorating under the onslaught. Yu braced himself on the table as the attacks sapped his strength. Finally, with one last piercing thrust through the shadow's face, it was over. He heard the key within its stomach fall to the floor, and quickly rushed over towards it. This was the same key that Saki had used to open the door, he remembered.

He let out a sigh of relief as he stumbled through the doorway, and he was finally out of the high school. His heart was racing, and he hoped that he'd be able to make it to the backlot in time. Teddie might come to him, even, though relying on that bear right now wasn't exactly the best idea. Before he'd become an important part of the team, he remembered, Teddie was rather meek and timid. Well, that didn't stop him from accusing Yosuke and him of murder. Yu let out a sigh and chuckled at the memory of their second meeting with him, then nearly collapsed. 

Shit, he was weaker than he thought. He popped another medicine tablet into his mouth and swallowed, almost choking on it due to how dry his mouth and throat were. "Oi, Teddie!" He shouted out, hoping his voice would reach him somehow. The fog was getting lighter and thinner, and it made him truly scared. Facing Morooka and the principal had been a trivial fright compared to this feeling of horror and dread. "Teddie!" he called out, his voice hoarse and rough. Would he find him in time? He and Izanagi were in no condition to fight, and if anything more than a Hablerie came at him he'd likely die. 

"Teddie..." he muttered out, then fell to his knee. The fog had completely cleared up, now, and something was approaching him fast in the distance. So this was it, huh? The fog had made him too weak to fight, even though it was now gone. His heart pounded and throbbed in his chest, leaving it amongst the few sensations he heard as his vision began to blur. He heard a squeaking sound getting closer and closer before his vision became clouded with black and he passed out.


	5. Safety

The first thing that caught his attention was the consistent, harsh beeping noise just to his right. He opened his eyes and was blinded by white light, narrowing them as he struggled to adjust to his surroundings. There was something on his face, and he was vaguely aware of something in his arm. The ceiling above him was unrecognizable, and he looked to his left for more clues.

He heard his heart rate accelerate as he caught sight of the hospital shelf, where he and his friends had left all of the mementoes for Nanako when she was inside. When did he get here? And, more importantly, how did he get here? He looked to his right, and realized that there was an IV needle sticking into his arm, surrounded by faint bruises. His phone was next to him, though his arm lacked the strength and mobility to grab it. "Shit," he muttered through the mask.

There was a small digital clock on the table next to him, and he strained his eyes to read it. 11:58, 4/15. He hadn't been gone for long, then. There was a small plastic object just beneath his right hand, with a small red button labelled 'CALL'. This would call the nurse, right? Realizing how parched he was, he clicked the button in and waited for a nurse to arrive. 

A minute hadn't passed when a nurse walked into his room and exclaimed that he was awake. "Water," he uttered out, his voice just above a whisper. She nodded, then stepped out of the room to fetch a drink. He gathered his thoughts whilst she was out of the room, vividly remembering the previous night's events. He went in for questioning, woke up in the TV World, faced his inner self... That memory left him somewhat bitter, but he carried on. He had made it out of Yasogami, but collapsed before he could get to Teddie. 

Then he woke up in the hospital. There was also the issue with- "I'm back," the nurse said, interrupting his thoughts. Figuring out Namatame would have to wait, then. 

"Thanks," he whispered, before the nurse helped him drink. He cleared his throat, then looked at the nurse. "What... happened?" 

"You were brought in earlier this morning, passed out on someone's roof." On a roof? He nodded his thanks, then stared forwards for a few seconds.

Dojima was probably worried sick about him, given the condition he was in. "Does Dojima know?" He croaked out, looking at the nurse. She nodded, and he let out a sigh. The nurse, after taking a look at the screens and monitors hooked up to him, left the room. Rest would be good, he thought, as a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

"Hey, Yu." He was awoken from his slumber by the hard, worried voice just next to him. "How are you feeling?" It was Dojima. He groaned and opened his eyes, and was glad not to be blinded again as he saw Nanako sitting in the chair in the corner.

His whole body ached, but he watched as he brought his hand a few feet above the mattress of the bed before setting it back down. "I'm okay." His uncle nodded, with a relieved smile on his face. "Sorry for worrying you," he said.

Dojima laughed dryly. "What are you sorry for? You're the one that got landed in a hospital." He let out a sigh of relief, and Yu carefully tried to move his other limbs. His legs seemed to be fine, but he didn't try moving his right arm too much for fear of dislodging the IV needle. The three sat in silence for a short while, none of them wanting to say something for fear of worsening the mood. Yu looked at the time, and saw that it was mid-evening. 

"So, what happened?" Dojima finally asked, and Yu looked towards him again. "Do you remember anything?"

He shook his head. "I was going to the police station, then I woke up here. That's all I remember." Dojima let out a sigh, and Yu could tell that he'd just piled more work onto his plate. Well, he wagered, it was better to have one death and one attempted murder than two deaths. "Do you know when they're letting me out of here?" Now it was time for Dojima to shake his head. 

"They said that once you'd recovered enough to stand, you should be good to go." Yu nodded, accepting the answer. He laughed bitterly at his predicament; he and his friends had so narrowly avoided death on so many occasions, and yet the second he's in there himself he gets hospitalized. Guess that just proves how valuable his friends were, and more importantly, how skilled they were. "Hey, what's the big idea? You look like you've just accepted death." Dojima's voice cut through his train of thought, and he quickly shook his head.

"Just reminiscing." Later that evening, a doctor came into the room and asked Yu a handful of questions. He was mostly curious about where he'd been and what had happened to him to weaken his heart and lungs, though he didn't really have an answer for him. The doctor seemed satisfied with that, and after he was deemed capable of standing he was discharged. Dojima helped him to the car, and he set himself carefully in the backseat. Yu pulled out his phone, and cringed slightly at the harsh text messages that he'd gotten from Dojima. 

He was concerned alright, but he could have at least skipped the threatening part, right? A small laugh parted his lips, and he wondered for a moment whether his disappearance had been publicized. Actually, who was he kidding; of course it had. Wait, of course it did. And if someone had found him, then had they been shown on the TV as well? "Dojima... Do you know who found me?" His uncle shook his head slightly. Damn it, if he just got someone else thrown in, he couldn't-

"It was another police officer, wasn't it?" Nanako suddenly said, leaning to her left to look at Yu. "I saw it on the TV." It wasn't so bad, then, but possibly still trouble. 

Yu smiled his thanks as he leaned in to talk to her. "Did they say his name?" He asked, and he internalized a sigh of relief when she shook her head. Young, reliable Nanako was helpful in more than one way, it seemed. 

"You interested in thanking the one who found you?" Dojima asked, inquiring as to why Yu would ask such a question in the first place. 

He shook his head. "No, not quite." The drive home was quiet, leaving Yu to his thoughts. Last time, Yosuke, Chie, and he had all discovered the Midnight Channel together today. Then tomorrow, he and Yosuke ventured in, met Teddie, and faced Yosuke's true self. He'd have to do that again, if he wanted any chance at saving Yukiko. 

But he'd only need to if Namatame still planned on kidnapping everyone, and if he could stop that, then everything would... Yu shook his head slightly, gesturing his thoughts away. Stopping him last time didn't prevent everything from going awry. Were they missing something, or did Yosuke merely snowball everything from then on out of his control? Moreover, if there really was something beyond Namatame, he'd need all the help he could get. That included a whole team, and that meant letting them be...

Yu hid his head behind Nanako's car seat as he grimaced, the thought almost sickening. Here he was, capable of stopping all of the trauma, and yet he wouldn't because he was being cautious of a potential villain. Surely there was another way, right? His heart and mind reached out for answers, hoping to grasp on to some plan of action that would work, but instead, it only came back to possibly the worst action yet; letting it all happen. It wouldn't be all that bad, right? If he just rescued them quickly, it'd be okay; that was the logic that kept with him until later that night, when he stumbled into his room and collapsed into his futon.

There was less pain when he woke up, though his body was still sore and his head still ached. He crossed out the 15th on his calendar, then realized that it was already the 16th. It'd been almost a week of being here, and there was little in the way to believe this was a dream. You didn't feel pain in dreams, right? He'd definitely felt pain in the TV World and, hell, he felt it now. But that didn't help him answer the question of what had happened to him, and why he went back. Maybe Igor would know? 

Yu stepped into the downstairs bathroom first, reaching into the medicine cabinet and pulling out an acetaminophen pill to pop into his mouth. Nanako had made breakfast, toast and eggs with a few sausages. He sat down with Nanako, and left for school after eating.

Last time, they'd discovered the Midnight Channel yesterday and met Teddie. Then today, he brought Yosuke into the TV and faced his shadow. He groaned, realizing that he'd have to figure out a way to get Yosuke into the TV. Well, that wouldn't be too hard, right? He went in thinking it'd be fun, and that he might come out a hero, with Saki as his excuse. Actually... maybe he'd just go shopping with him.

He'd just started down Samegawa when he heard a bell ring behind him, and Yu turned around to watch as Yosuke pulled up behind him. "Hey Narukami, you're back!" He exclaimed, and Yu nodded. "You know, I heard about what happened on the news," and Yu nodded grimly. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah," he said, and started towards the school. "How's Konishi-senpai?" 

Yosuke sighed sadly. "Well, she put her two-week notice in just yesterday." Sadness, along with regret, coursed through his voice.

"Well, that just means you can be friends with her outside of work, doesn't it?" Yosuke looked back at him, thought about it, then nodded. 

"I suppose you're right. Still sucks though, you know?" Yu nodded in commiseration with him, and the clicking of Yosuke's bike filled the silence between them for a while.

Yu thought about how he wanted to bring Yosuke into the TV, then almost blanched at what he was doing. Was it right for him to involve people in this? He thought for a moment, then shook his head. These thoughts needed a theoretical philosopher, not a high school teenager, for god's sake. "Hey, can I meet you at Junes after school today? I want to talk to you about something." 

"Junes? Sure." Yu nodded and smiled his thanks, and they got to class without further event. It started raining as they waited for Morooka and the rest of class to show up, and Yu noted the distinct lack of Chie. His eyes snapped to the door as it opened, and he watched the familiar green jacket-clad martial artist step inside.

She hurried over towards him and Yosuke the second she saw them. "Hey, is Yukiko still not here?" Had she- no, he remembered this. She was working at the inn right now, right? 

"Huh? Amagi? Uh... no? I haven't seen her today." Chie's features twisted into a concerned frown in response. "Why do you ask?" 

"W-Well," she stammered out, "I looked at the Midnight Channel again last night." Yosuke shuffled his feet nervously, reminded of Yu's appearance on the channel. "Anyways, the person on TV yesterday... I think it was Yukiko." 

"Wait, what? I thou- are you-" Yu cleared his throat, interrupting Yosuke and Chie before either could say anything they might regret.

The two looked at him, and the anxious look on Chie's face quickly changed to a more caring and apologetic expression. "Oh, Narukami-san! I'm sorry, are you okay? What happened?" He laughed, and somewhat abated her concerns. 

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Though, I think I got kidnapped." His comment, coupled with his almost humourous tone, shocked the both of them.

Chie was the first one to say anything. "Wha- Really?!"

"Dude, you really can't just say that out of the blue! What happened?" Yu steadied himself for a second, wondering if he should have waited to tell them.

"Well, it was after I left you two at Junes. I went to the police station, blacked out, then woke up-" His story, after a momentary pause to think, was interrupted by Morooka stepping into the room and announcing his arrival. The two sighed, and returned their seats. "Hey Satonaka-san, can you meet me and Hanamura at Junes after school?" She nodded, and all that was left was to suffer through the King Moron's lectures. 

Surprisingly enough, class passed with only one shouting rant, as opposed to the usual two or three. Class finished up, and the three left for Junes. "So, did you want to finish telling us what happened? If not that's okay, but..." Chie asked, trailing off at the end. 

Yu shook his head, then continued where he'd left off. "Right. Well, when I woke up, it looked like I was in the classroom, only there was a yellow fog everywhere." The two looked at him incredulously, and he supposed he should have expected it. "Anyways, I leave, pass out, then wake up in the hospital."

"Are you sure you maybe didn't, I don't know... hit your head a little too hard?" Yu smirked and looked to the side as Chie sniggered. They didn't believe him at all, though that was unsurprising. 

He adjusted his umbrella as they continued down the street. "Anyways, Chie, did you end up finding a TV for your family?" She shook her head.

"Of course not! All of them have far too many zeroes for me to even think about buying them!" she exclaimed, eliciting a laugh from Yu. Yosuke glanced between him and Chie, looking somewhat confused and offended for her. Oh, right.

"Oh, sorry, Satonaka-san," Yu quickly sputtered out, realizing he'd slipped up again. He could feel himself blushing slightly out of embarrassment, and he prayed that nothing came of it. "Anyways, Junes." He could feel the two of them staring at him as he sped forwards, ushering the pair towards the shopping centre.

Thankfully, there was no call to divert him away from the electronics aisle, and much to his surprise the aisle was empty. Last time there was a sale that brought people to the TV selection, though there wasn't this time. "Hey, Hanamura-san? Wasn't there a sale on TVs?" 

Yosuke shook his head. "No, there wasn't. The sale today's on personal computers." Differences are piling up, then. "Did you want us to help you pick one out?"

"Actually, there was something I wanted to show you," Yu said, walking towards the TV; after so many months of jumping in and out of it, it was easy to spot. He reached his hand forwards, and, as if dipping his fingers into a pool of water, his hand disappeared and created pulsating white rings around it. 

"What i- I-is your arm... in the TV...?" Yosuke muttered out, quickly stepping around Yu to get a closer look. 

"Whoa, uhhh... Is that some kinda... new model?" Chie said, getting a better look from the other side of Yu's hand. "L-Like with a new function?"

Yu stuck his hand in further, taking his time to pay attention to what he felt inside. "Hell no!" There was a very gentle tug on his hand, though he felt no contact or pressure. It was somewhat cold inside, as well. 

"You gotta be kidding me... Did you really stick your hand through the screen?" Yu nodded, then stepped forwards as he stuck his arm in to the elbow. 

Yosuke let out a nervous chain of laughs. "Oh man... This is for real... That's some magic trick, man!" Yosuke himself leaned in closer. "So how's it work, huh!? What's the magicians secret!?" Yu turned his head slightly to look at him. 

"Well first, you stick your head in," he stated, and did exactly as he said. "Then you look around and see that it's very spacious in here."

"H-Hey, don't do that! What're you doing!? And what do you mean it's very spacious!?" Yosuke shouted, and he heard Chie shout something behind him as well. Yu strained his eyes through the fog, though he couldn't see anything. 

Yu could feel himself being drawn into the TV, inching closer and closer to that final tipping point each second. "I think I'm getting pulled in." He said, stifling a laugh as Chie and Yosuke both did their best to avoid outright screaming as they panicked. 

"W-Well, push yourself back out!" Chie shouted, grabbing onto the back of his shirt. Maybe that'd be for the best, actually. It'd be less worrying, not to mention less traumatic if they-

"I've got you!" Someone shouted, before he was pulled in by an invisible force. Both he and Chie shouted as they fell forwards into the TV, leaving Yosuke behind.

\---

Yu, unprepared for the landing for the first time in a year, had forgotten how surprisingly painless it all was. It still hurt, but less than you'd expect from a ten-second freefall. "Maaan, where the heck are we?" Chie asked, looking around as Yu stood up. "Is this someplace inside Junes?" 

"Don't worry, we got her!" The voice shouted again, and Yu whipped his head around in its direction. Between him and Chie stood Teddie, growling and ready to pounce. 

"H-Huh?" Chie was still disoriented, and looked at the bear mascot with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. Teddie started to slowly walk towards her, menacingly flexing his soft, fuzzy hands. "Wh-What is thing? A monkey? A bear...?"

Teddie's feet squeaked with each step he took. "You're the one that's been throwing people in, aren't you? First you threw him in, then you threw him in again when it didn't work the first time!" He exclaimed in accusation. Yu got up and quickly walked towards Teddie before he could try anything, though thankfully he stopped just a few feet from her. 

Chie pushed herself up to her feet and readied herself. "W-What are you?! Y-You wanna fight!?" Teddie cowered in response, hiding his head in his hands.

"Easy everyone, easy," Yu said, very gently putting his hand on Teddie's head to calm him. "She's not the one who threw me in." 

Teddie looked up at him in response, the panes of his eyes almost glistening with tears. "Really? Then who is she?" Yu offered him a smile as the pair calmed down, then stepped away from the bear. 

"She's a friend. Right, Satonaka-san?" She nodded as Yu looked at her for a response, and the bear finally gained his composure. 

"Hey, wait; how come I get all the suspicion, but he doesn't?" she asked, sounding somewhat offended and hurt. Well, that was fair enough. 

Teddie turned to face her, his feet squeaking once more as he rotated. "I saw him earlier, when the fog last cleared. He seemed hurt, and he obviously wasn't a shadow, so I pushed him back through a TV." It appeared that Teddie had come through for him, then, and was indeed the reason Yu still lived. He made a note to buy him something to repay him one day. "So, when I saw he was being pushed in again, I figured I'd catch him and the culprit at the same time... but I guess there wasn't any pushing, though." 

"So, anyway," Yu said, looking around. This was the backlot alright, and although it was hard to tell through the fog, he couldn't see any differences. "What is this place?"

Teddie turned around to face him. It was weird, asking questions you knew the answer to for the sole benefit of the person you were with. "This place is what it is, it doesn't have a name. It's where I live." 

"Right... TV World it is, then." Yu groaned, feeling the headache of the fog already beginning to set it. 

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here, and it's a big headache." Yeah, sure was. 

"Wh- wait, huh? Throwing people in? W-What do you mean by that?" Teddie scowled, stomping his foot onto the ground. His expression, coupled with the squeak of each stomp, forced Yu to stifle his laughter.

"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!" He shouted, and Yu cleared his throat.

Maybe it'd be better if he just facilitated the conversation. "Well, hold on. You said that I'd been thrown in, right?"

Teddie nodded, though it was more like pitching his whole body back and forth. "Yeah. It's making this world more and more messed up." He looked over at Chie, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So, when I thought that someone was getting pushed in again, I tried to get the culprit too so that they would stop." Yu nodded; that must have been why he pulled Chie and him inside. 

"H-Hold on, what is this talk about throwing people in?" She looked around for some sort of exit, but found nothing. "If someone was thrown in here and couldn't get out, they might die!"

Yu turned to face her, and saw the cocktail of expressions on her face that he couldn't quite read. "I think that's the point, Satonaka. If I was thrown in and made it out alive, but was found in a similar matter to that announcer..." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing. "Then it stands to reason that the announcer was also thrown in."

She thought for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. "So then that means... the person who killed Yamano tried to kill you, too?" He nodded, confirming her thoughts. She was intuitive as always. "Oh my god..."

"Hey, what's your name, bear?" He was tired of refraining from calling him by name.

"Teddie." 

Chie groaned. "Of course it is..." Yu cleared his throat, looking around the backlot. Over in the other corner was where they'd first wandered off to, if he remembered correctly.

"Alright, Teddie. Can you figure out where the other person landed when they were thrown in?" The bear pondered the request for a moment, then nodded. "Good. I'm sure you want to get to the bottom of this, and I can assure you that I do too. Maybe we can find some clues as to who it was there?" Saying all of this felt weird, like he was spilling his guts out yet at the same time revealing nothing. 

Teddie nodded again, then pointed over towards one of the catwalks. "Right. It's somewhere in that direction. If we go there, I'm sure I can probably find it." 

"Probably!?" Evidently, it wasn't good enough for Chie. "What if we get lost? What if something happens?" Teddie scowled again at her outburst, stomping his foot once again. 

"Trust me, the nose knows! If we get closer, I can tell you more about where it is. Okay?" Teddie let out a small 'hmph' to emphasize his point, which prompted Chie to groan. 

Yu turned towards her as Teddie turned around to lead them to where Yamano had landed. "Listen, it'll be fine. If something happens, just put me in between you and it, okay?" Chie frowned at him.

"I'm not helpless, you know." Yu shrugged and looked over at Teddie.

"I know, I just wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got hurt. Anyways, let's go." A minuscule part of Yu wished he hadn't gotten everything so tangled up and jostled around, though he quickly dismissed the thought. If it didn't work last time, what would be the point of trying it again? He'd have to be insane to think anything would change, and if he had to work a little for a better ending to the murders, then so be it. 

Teddie led them across the purple metal catwalks and through the fog, making Yu realize how much he'd missed having the glasses. Was the bear making those right now, maybe? "Hey, Teddie. How come you can see through all this fog?" 

"I have special lenses on my eyes that help see through it." Right, what a great help that was. 

Chie voiced her thoughts before Yu even opened his mouth. "Can't we get some lenses like that too?" Teddie growled, though it was noticeably less hostile than it was before. 

"I'm working on it, okay? They take delicate work from delicate fingers!" Teddie had never said where exactly he got the materials for each pair of glasses, though a part of him didn't really want to know. Some things were better left a mystery. The dull pain in his head only grew as they walked, and his limbs felt heavier and heavier. He pushed on, knowing he had no other option but to wait.

There were close, now; he remembered the building that they had just arrived at. Up the stairs and around the corner was where they'd found that room with the noose. "T-Teddie? What is this place?" 

"I don't know. This is reality for whoever's here, if that helps." The confused look on Chie's face told Yu that it didn't help.

"Think of it like... a representation of your inner desire. Your inner thoughts and self." She frowned, apparently disliking the idea. "Anyways, try not to think too much of it." They followed Teddie up the steps, and came across the stark red and black entrance. It was the same pattern as the one they passed through on their way to rescue someone. 

"W-Wait a second. Th-They're here!" Teddie exclaimed, quickly running back to hide behind Chie. Yu watched as she backed up, almost knocking down Teddie in the process as she rapidly looked around them. "Shadows... I had a feeling they were going to attack!" 

He could hear Chie let out a cry of confusion, worry, and fear as two blue masks materialized from the entrance, immediately followed by dark, connected, amorphous masses. The masks clattered to the ground, then rose up to take shape. Yu watched as they quickly formed into a pair of pink and black striped Hableries. "Izanagi!" He called out, summoning his Persona. With only a quick Mazio, the two shadows were defeated. 

"Amazing, Sensei!" He smiled as he heard Teddie's praise, and turned around to face him and Chie. Her fear had been replaced with a sense of wonder as to what had just happened, unable to comprehend what just happened. "Gosh almighty! I am one impressed bear!" he continued, "I can't believe you were hiding such amazing power! No wonder the shadows were afraid of you!" 

"W-Wait, what even just happened? Those things came out, and then you shouted something before, before..." Chie was at a loss for words as to how she could describe the fight, and Yu chuckled. 

"Oh, one more thing!" Teddie said, and quickly produced two pairs of glasses. "These are finally done!" Yu took his pair, a rectangular grey frame, and put them on. 

"Woah! You can see right through the fog!" Chie shouted, quickly looking around. There was still plenty of empty space and void, but at least they could now see the difference between what was obscured and what didn't exist. "A-Anyways, now it's time to go through that door, isn't it?" Yu nodded, and led the group as they stepped inside. 

The noose was the first thing that he saw as he stepped in, the rope and red sash over the chair acting as the room's primary quality. It was unsettling, and was made worse by the many posters of Misuzu Hiiragi. The face had been clawed off or painted over on each one and had initially prevented them recognizing it as her last time. "This place freaks me out," Chie muttered under her breath. 

Yu recognized the window he'd seen in the Midnight Channel, and felt chills run down his spine as he looked at the exact spot Yamano had died. There was no trace of her, no evidence of the location of her death aside from his memory. The thought chilled him, and he shifted his attention elsewhere. "Satonaka-san, do you see anything?" She shook her head, but paused as she looked at one of the posters.

"Well, this is just a guess, but this is where Yamano was, right?" Yu nodded, and looked at the poster she was examining. "These posters are all of that enka singer, just with her face removed. So maybe she was... jealous?" That seemed to be a fairly safe assumption. It'd be nice if there was something else, Yu thought, but if there wasn't then-

"Jealous, huh? You'd have been good friends then." Yu whipped around to face the Chie just outside of the room, and felt her piercing yellow gaze.


	6. Tomoe

"Wh-What do you mean?" Chie stammered out, taken aback by the visage of her own self. "W-Who are you?" 

Her Shadow Self laughed, her voice distorted and twisted with an unnatural quality. "What do you mean who am I? I'm you. You and Yamano aren't so different, you know." Chie trembled as she couldn't help but listen to her Shadow. "Yukiko's so good looking, so fair-skinned, so feminine... It's always her that everyone pays attention to. Just like Hiiragi." Her grin stretched across her face. "Whenever she looks at me, with such jealousy in her eyes... Boy, do I get a charge out of that!" 

"No!" Chie shouted out, "That's not..." She choked, and the Shadow continued through her silence. 

"Yukiko knows the score... She can't do anything if I'm not around. If I don't let her near the-"

"Shut up!" Chie suddenly shouted, and Yu looked around the room. It'd be just him and Izanagi again, without a weapon. "I haven't ever thought of anything like that... You aren't me!" 

It was getting close. Fighting her here, in such close quarters, was a bad idea. Maybe he could bring her outside? "Oh, but I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person... I'm pathetic. But Yukiko depends on me." The Shadow chuckled and leered at Chie, who trembled in her feet. "That's why you're here, isn't it? So you have something to gloat in front of her with. Something that actually makes you better than her." 

Chie shook her head, and opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. "So, you're just gonna turn your back and deny me again? But things are different now. When the time comes," she said with a glare, "I'll be the one left standing. Not that it'll matter, right? I'm you."

"No, shut up!" Chie shouted again, her voice becoming hoarse from her agitation. "You're not me!" This was it. He pushed Chie out of the way as a black mist enveloped her Shadow, who had already begun to morph into its true form. Yu summoned Izanagi and sent him lunging towards her, but his glaive was repelled by the mist. 

"I am the shadow... The true self." In the blink of an eye, Chie's repressed self took on the form of a yellow and white dominatrix with long, flowing black hair. Her arms and legs were covered in golden yellow gloves and boots, their sleeves ending in a subtle crown motif. It hung from the side of the building, with chains that reached up to what must have been the roof. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me?" Yu remained silent, instead focusing on any hair or the whip that might be used to attack him. 

Without Yosuke, this fight might be tough. She made the first move, two tendrils of hair darting towards his chest, the ends fashioned into knives. His heart accelerated, and he rolled out of the way. The recoil of sending out Izanagi was still strong, but he was getting better and managing and diminishing it. Izanagi's glaive struck the hair, shattering the blade it was made of in one strike. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, then.

Shadow Chie screeched at him in response, and shot forwards a flurry of ice. The frost chilled him and nipped at his skin, but he was otherwise fine. He was unused to fighting in such a constrained space, and it forced him to mind the space between himself, his surroundings, and Izanagi when he was out. "You can do it, Sensei!" Teddie was shouting from just inside the room, and he supposed he'd have to trust taking care of Chie to him. He channelled a Zio through Izanagi, striking one of the chains and scarring its surface with a range of warped, heated colours. 

She growled at him, and attacked once again with her hair. He attacked one of them with his Persona, though the other point jabbed into its thigh. Yu grunted through gritted teeth as the sharp pain in his leg knocked him down onto one knee, though he soon recovered. This style of fighting had its benefits, but he'd have to watch out for any attacks like that. He willed Izanagi forwards, and he struck the weakened part of her chains with his glaive. The Shadow let out a cry as the chain links broke apart, severing a third of her support. 

He took this opportunity to slash at her body, rending superficial cuts into her flesh and hair. He retrieved Izanagi before she could counterattack, and dodged the counterattack she made with her whip. "How lame!" she exclaimed, laughing. "You're so deadly serious, and we've only gotten started!" He watched as all four of her remaining knives tensed up, then shot towards him. 

Each lunge of her hair came just seconds after the previous, and leaping out of the way with the expectation of dodging all of them exhausted him. His fatigue caught up to him on the fourth dodge, and it sliced a gash into his arm. He winced, warmth beginning to flow down the side of his arm. She pulled them out of the wall at the same tempo she'd attacked at, and readied them once again. 

Yu was more conservative with his evasive manoeuvres this time. After the fourth strike, he summoned Izanagi and shattered the closest blade to him. He could feel his whole chest practically pounding with adrenaline as he took another blast of ice and retaliated with a thunderbolt, searing another one of the metal chains. He pounced after her next attack, sending Izanagi out with a vengeance. His glaive tore a sizeable hole in the Shadow's glove, and using the momentum from its swing, slashed at the weakened chain and knocked her off balance once more. 

Izanagi tore into her shoulder with his glaive, and Yu was sure that had she been any more human, her shoulder would have given out by now. He pulled back as the Shadow recovered, and shot out another Zio as she righted herself on the last remaining chain. "Ngh... Don't make fun of me... You're nothing against me!" Yu pushed her voice out of his mind as she screamed at him, instead focusing on her whip and hair. 

Chie's Shadow shot a knife towards him, which he deftly deflected with his Persona. She howled with anger, then pitched her whole body forwards as she tried to smash him with the bottom of her boot. Rolling out of the way with ease, he sliced into her leg with Izanagi until she pushed back out. It was a rough back and forth between attacks with her hair or her legs and his retaliation, often in the form of Zio or attacks with his glaive.

When her hair and legs penned him in, he knew the fight was over. He rushed forwards with Izanagi, pressing himself up against the balcony as much as he could as his Persona lunged forwards. Her legs joined together and formed a cross, though he still stood between her legs. Izanagi delivered a final thrust into her chest with his glaive, and she cried out in pain. A reddish-black mist enveloped her body again, and she faded away.

Yu recalled Izanagi back into his soul, where he rested contently. Fighting her with Yosuke had been tiring; doing all the work was exhausting. "You did it, Sensei!" Teddie's admiration and praise was a definite plus, though, and he limped back into the room to check on Chie and pull out some medicine. She was already standing by the time he'd walked inside, and her Shadow Self had rematerialized in front of her. 

"...What's the matter? Got nothing to say anymore?" She said, glaring at her Shadow. 

"Relax, Satonaka. It's okay now." She turned around to face him, and he cut her off before she could speak. "That's just a single part of you, and it doesn't represent the whole." 

"B-But I..." She glanced over her shoulder, then looked back to him for further advice.

He did his best to give her an understanding smile. "I went through the same thing, you know. I know how it feels." 

She nodded and turned around, silent for a moment as she thought. "Yeah... I kinda get it now. You are me. A side of me I couldn't forgive; that I tried to ignore..." Chie took a deep breath, then strengthened her posture and looked herself in the eye. "But you still exist. You're a part of me..." 

Yu bandaged himself up as her Shadow disappeared, enveloped in a blue fog that quickly revealed the form of her Persona; Tomoe. It was reminiscent of her Shadow's true form, though it was clearly better suited for combat. The boots were white, sturdier, and lacked the crown design, and at the waist were several white and black metal armour plates. It disappeared, returning to the confines of Chie's soul, and she fell down onto her knees. "Easy," Yu said, grabbing his leather satchel and walking over to her. 

"So this is what you had, huh? A Persona?" He nodded, and pulled her back up to her feet. Her footing was shaky, but she wasn't hurt. Chie turned to smile at him, though any gratefulness was replaced with concern as she saw the cuts and blood. "Oh my god, are you okay?!" Yu chuckled off her worries.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let's just get back, yeah?" Teddie led the way to the backlot, though they had to stop every few minutes for a short breather. The two of them were physically and mentally exhausted, and the initial fatigue from the fog had hardly helped. If Teddie hadn't taken his sweet time on the glasses, he might have made it out without any injuries, Yu mused, though he refrained from saying anything about it. "Hanamura's probably worried sick, huh?" Chie nodded, and the look on her face told him they both felt a little guilty about it. 

Teddie stepped in front of them and stomped his foot on the ground twice, summoning a pillar of old fashioned TVs. "You can leave through here," he said, though Yu noted he sounded almost sad saying it. "It should take you right where you came in from..." 

Yu frowned and looked the bear in the eyes. "Don't worry, Teddie. We'll come back; we have a case to solve, after all, don't we?" Chie nodded, leaning against the TVs.

"R-Really?" 

"I promise."

\---

"Eh? Narukami? Satonaka?" Yosuke's voice was the first thing they heard when they passed back through the TV. His eyes were slightly red, and the slight dampness of his sleeves indicated that he'd been crying.

"Sorry." Yu apologized, both for taking so long and for worrying him in the first place. Yosuke stood up, shaking his head. 

"Whatever... what happened in there, anyways?" Yu and Chie caught him up to date on what had happened, including how they'd promised Teddie that they would find the one who killed Yamano and tried to kill Yu. His spirits lifted, and his expression brightened as they went on. "You know, I might not have believed you two if I hadn't seen you fall into the TV myself." He reached towards the TV, but Yu slapped his hand away.

"Let's not try our luck. We're already exhausted as it is." Yosuke nodded and sighed dejectedly, his eyes lingering on the TV. "Satonaka? Could you call Amagi and tell her to be careful?" 

She raised her eyebrow, looking at him. "Huh? Why Yukiko?" Yu explained to her and Yosuke how Yamano and he had appeared on the Midnight Channel before being thrown in. "O-Oh, so, that means that it's related to the murder, then?" She whined, pulling her arms into herself. "Now I feel kind of guilty about that rumour, you know..." 

Yu shrugged and gently patted her on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing everything." That seemed to calm her down, and he turned back to Yosuke. "Make sure you watch the Midnight Channel tonight, okay? Satonaka and I might be too tired to stay up until then."

"Right," he said with a nod. "What's your cell number? I'll text you what I see when I watch it tonight." Yu had recently gotten a new phone number, just in time for his departure to Inaba. Thankfully, he had a whole year to memorize it. "Alright. I won't forget to watch it tonight." Yu yawned, sparking a similar reaction in Chie.

"We should head home. See you later, Hanamura." Yu groaned as he stepped outside, his muscles aching. The nurses and doctors would probably strap him down to a bed if they'd been told he'd gone into the very place that hospitalized him just a day after being discharged. He laughed at the thought, then slowly made his way to the shopping district to buy some supplies before heading home. 

Dojima was out when he got home, probably investigating the house he'd been found on. Nanako, engrossed in her TV quiz show, said nothing as he walked in. The silence hurt, frankly, though he said nothing. He stepped out of his shoes and hurried upstairs, grabbing a set of clothes to change into and a first aid kit. Today's events called for a nice, hot shower, and he waited for the water to come up to temperature before stepping in. Baths had their strengths and merits, but clearing the body of blood was not one of them. Sitting in blood tainted water simply didn't appeal to him. 

He took his time lathering the shampoo into his hair, making sure to get all of the sweat and grime out of it before washing it. The cut on his arm was still fairly fresh, and he avoided having to move or strain it in case he worsened it. His leg, thankfully, was devoid of any wound or apparent harm. The pain lingered nonetheless. Sleep called at him already, and for a second he worried he might miss the Midnight Channel. Well, so what? It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before, and if anything changed he'd hear about it from Yosuke. 

Once he was fully cleaned and relaxed, he stepped out of the shower and carefully dried himself, careful not to disturb the cut too much. He took his time as he bandaged up his arm, and got dressed with the intention of not disturbing the gauze and bandage. Yu took his dirty clothes, then headed upstairs to path up his shirt. With some of his leftover money, he'd bought a sewing needle and thread. 

His work was messy, and he doubted it'd last for much more than two runs through the wash, but at least he could say he tried. Yu sighed, hung up his shirt in his closet, then fell into his futon and slept. That night, he dreamt of browsing the music stores with Yosuke and Chie, then shopping at Croco Fur with Yukiko and Rise. 

Yu walked down the stairs, dressed and ready for an adventure into the TV World. He had seven missed texts from Yosuke. 'HEY HEYH DUDE. WHT was that!' He smiled at the text, then quickly scanned through the rest to see that nothing had changed, and that they would all be meeting early the next morning at Junes. Before he left, he looked over at Nanako. "Going to be okay on your own?" 

"Yeah," she said. "Are you going somewhere? I'll be fine by myself." He nodded, and, though reluctant to leave her alone and without well-wishes, went on his way. He'd've liked to stop at Daidara on the way there, but he hardly had much in the way of money after what he'd already bought. He passed by, knowing he'd likely be stopping there later with the others. How did today go again? His memory was beginning to slip, but there was something that digging at his mind, desperately trying to remind him of...

He was calling Yosuke in a flash. That dumb motherfucker nearly got them arrested with the stunt he pulled last time. "Yo!" 

"Yo-... Hanamura, do you have anything for us to use as weapons?" Hopefully, the fool, or the magician Yu mused, wasn't at Junes already, with three weapons clear on display for the rest of the food court to see.

"Yeah, actually. I found some stuff that we can use in my closet. Are you at Junes already?" Yu groaned, and he hoped that Yosuke heard him.

He paused for a second. "Picture yourself as a random person on the street. There was a murder last week, and you see someone walking down the street with three swords. What do you do?" Yosuke stammered and mumbled a few things over the line. Maybe he'd been a little too hostile with how he'd said it...

"I would... call the cops, wouldn't I." Yu hated hearing him sound so defeated, but it beat a scolding from Dojima and a detour to the police station. "Should I take it back home?"

"Yes, please. Tell Chie to meet us at Daidara so we can buy stuff there." Yu smirked as he turned around, realizing he'd be showing up sooner rather than later.

"Daidara? Oh, that place! Sure, I'll text her." With everything squared away, Yu hung up and focused on getting back to Daidara. Neither Chie nor Yosuke were there when he got there. Neither of them were inside either, as deduced by a quick peek in through the door, so he waited outside. Chie was the first to show up. 

"Hey!" She said, running up and stopping just next to him. "Are you kinda nervous?"

Yu shrugged, which perhaps was not the best idea. "Concerned perhaps, but not nervous. We'll probably wait for Yosuke's Shadow to show up, then head back."

"Eh? A Shadow, like what happened with me?" She asked, looking at him. He still remembered Yosuke's, after nearly a year since that first encounter. That fight had adrenaline and fear swirling around in an emotional cocktail in him like no other. But with Chie by his side, not to mention a stronger Izanagi- "Narukami?"

Oh, right. He had to stop spacing out. "Yeah, like what happened with you. I'm pretty sure Amagi wouldn't normally say the things that Yosuke said she did either, so I think it's safe to say he was actually watching her Shadow." He stopped for a moment, gauged her understanding of what he was saying, then continued. "Plus, you and I had a Shadow as well. I can't imagine they'll be any different." Chie nodded, and the pair of them waited for Yosuke to arrive. It was another ten or so minutes until he finally made it to Daidara.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late, had to make a trip back," he said, giving a quick look to Yu. Just had to rub it in... "So... What kinda shop is this?" 

"A metalworks... I guess?" Chie said, looking at the suit of armour just out front. She led the way in, and they were greeted by the dry warmth of the shop and the large selection of old fashioned weapons and armour. "They sell all sorts of metal crap... like katanas and stuff."

"Doesn't that seem weird to you?!" He asked, then turned to Yu. "And why would you know about a place like this anyway?" Yu laughed uncomfortably a few times, wondering that himself.

"I pass by here every time I go to the shopping district... suit of armour has to mean something, doesn't it?" He said, emphasizing his point with a shrug. 

The three of them began to go over the selection of weapons and armour that the shop had, and Yu picked out the sturdiest thing he could find that was within his price range. The bokken that he found was worn and old, but it seemed to be hard enough to take hits and beat the crap out of shadows. Yosuke grabbed a dull hunting knife, whereas Chie instead opted to buy a vest to protect herself. Yu spent the last of his money on the sword, and hoped that he would be able to pick up some cash or valuables off the Shadows in Yukiko's castle. "You know... if we wear this stuff around town, we'll just get picked up by the police." Yosuke's glance over at Yu made his ears redden. "But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either..." 

"Why not conceal them under our clothes?" Chie suggested. "I don't think people would notice." Yu nodded in agreeance with her; it worked last time, after all. 

Yosuke acquiesced after some thought, and nodded. "Okay, let's try that. The store will be crowded when the afternoon sale starts, so let's head over before that starts." After making sure everything had been paid for, they left for Junes once again. Small talk kept them occupied for most of the trip, coupled with the need to get to the TV before the sale started. Yu contemplated whether he should talk to Yosuke about what they were getting into, but decided against it. 

The three of them slipped into the department store with no prompts or radio calls from the police, and they made it to the TV without issue. "Are you ready?" Yu asked, resting a hand on the top of the TV and sticking his thumb into the screen. 

"Time to go, Hanamura," Chie whispered, and pushed him towards the TV. Yu watched as he hesitantly dipped his hand into the screen, then quickly jumped in before he changed his mind. Yu and Chie followed shortly after, not wanting to leave him stuck in there with Teddie.


	7. Jiraiya

"Ow... I landed right on my wallet," Yosuke groaned, "wh-where are we?"

Yu looked around the backlot as he put his glasses on, dispelling the fog. Teddie stood in the corner, his head in his hands. "Whoa, it's the bear you guys were talking about..." 

"What're you doing, Teddie?" asked Chie, who had just put her own glasses on.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about what I am." Yu wondered if he'd stopped to sleep, or even if he needed to sleep when he was in this form. He'd never gotten to ask last time. "I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now." Yu snirked, earning a funny glance from Yosuke. "Hey, that wasn't a bad joke. Heehee!"

Yosuke got to his feet and looked around the backlot, muttering to himself. "I try and try but nothing comes out of my head," Teddie said, sad at the lack of any answers. 

Chie cleared her throat and brought them back on topic. "Anyways, Teddie, listen... Someone came here yesterday, right?" The mascot turned and looked at her, astonished.

"Wow! You have a better nose than I do!?" He asked, then froze with realization. "Hey, how come I don't know any of your names but you know mine?" Yu looked at the others, and everyone quickly introduced themselves. 

"But never mind that! Tell me more about the person who came in yesterday, okay?" Teddie nodded in response to Chie's request, then thought for a second.

"Hmm... I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here." Yu took his approximation of time with a grain of salt, knowing it was almost impossible to tell the time in the TV World without a watch.

Yosuke butted in first. "Is it Amagi?" 

Teddie shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't looked..." He pointed behind Yu. "The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are." 

Chie unzipped her jacket, checking to make sure the vest she wore underneath was well secured. "Is everyone ready?" Yu and Yosuke nodded, and the four of them took off running towards Yukiko. The path to it was the same as it always was; purple catwalk for a while, then running through run-down buildings and platforms. 

The castle came into view after a short while, the gate open to reveal the familiar red and black entrance, the same pattern all above it. "Oh, Yosuke!" Teddie shouted, stopping him from running straight into the castle. "I've got these for you." 

Yosuke took the orange glasses and put them on, looking around in wonder. "Whoa! The fog just disappears! No wonder you guys could see where you were going so well." 

"What the...? A castle!?" Chie exclaimed, looking up at it. "Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?" Yu nodded, confirming her thoughts. 

"I don't see any cameras," Yosuke said, looking around. Yu'd forgotten how he had been hung up on that. "Is there anyone else here?" 

Teddie shook his head. "I don't know what those cameras are, but I sure haven't seen them here before. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that." 

Yosuke pondered the idea, somewhat puzzled. The answer 'it just happens' wasn't a nice one, but that was the case here. "And like I told you before, there's only me and shadows here! This world has been like this from the beginning." 

"From the beginning? When's that?" In response to Yosuke's question, Yu cleared his throat and butted into their conversation.

"You don't see any calendars around here, do you? The beginning is probably just whenever Teddie came into... existence, I guess." Yosuke thought for a moment, then nodded. "Plus, it's hard to tell time if there isn't any day or night."

"Well," Chie said, irrespective of the current conversation. "is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world?" Everyone turned to face her. "Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off?" Yu opened his mouth to reply, then realized he didn't have much to say to that. 

"Yeah. And, Amagi saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud'? I don't think I could even imagine her actually saying that," Yosuke added, and Yu wondered if he should explain it to him now, or later. 

Chie looked at Yu. "Well, you said that was her Shadow, right?" Well, it was happening now. Yu nodded, and saw that Yosuke had a confused look on his face. 

"Think of it like her inner thoughts," Yu explained, "her repressed emotions, if you will. It isn't really her, but it is a part of her that's been blown up and focused on." Yosuke looked around somewhat nervously at that. 

"Oh, uh... R-Repressed emotions, huh?" Well, this was it. Yosuke swallowed hard, looking back and forth between he and Chie. "You think that'll happen to me too?"

Yu nodded. "Yeah. It can be a real pain in the ass, so the sooner it happens the better. We've still got to save Amagi, don't we?" Yosuke nodded sheepishly, and Yu hoped that did the trick. 

"Y-Yeah... That's why we're here... isn't it?" A part of him realized how much he hated purposefully kicking things in motion, though another part realized he wouldn't have had much choice with Yosuke other than waiting for it to happen. 

"It's totally not like we're here just for the fun of it-" The castle's entranceway was flanked on both sides by large brick walls, and everyone's eyes shot towards the top of the closer one. "Oh wait, I am!" Yosuke was stood on the wall, looking down at himself with his glowing yellow eyes. 

"Who are you?!" Yosuke shouted, his body tensing up as he looked at his Shadow. "I-I wouldn't think that!" 

His Shadow belted out a string of heavy laughter, then sat down on the wall. "Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Everything is such a pain in the ass around here... Junes and the shopping district, hell, there isn't a single thing in Inaba you aren't sick of!"

"What're you saying...? That's not true, I-" Yosuke's protests were cut off by his Shadow. 

"Inaba's so far out from anything... You put on a good show of being carefree, and happy-go-lucky... But that's just 'cause you're so terrified of being alone." Yosuke trembled as he listened to his Shadow, to all of his buried emotions being dug up and spewed out. "The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation." He grimaced, and Yu realized just how much he sympathized with him.

"And what's this about checking out this world for Amagi's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping..." Yosuke shook his head vigourously.

"S-Stop it!" 

Shadow Yosuke laughed in response. "Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe," he said, "maybe I do know everything you're thinking! And why's that? Because I am you!" Yosuke tried to refute him, tried to speak up, but all he could do was stand aghast and shake his head. "You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? Working at Junes, going to school, it's all boring as hell... But a world inside the TV--now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?" 

"That's not true," Yosuke stammered out, "Stop... Stop it...!" Tears had welled up past the breaking point, dropping down and leaving marks on the broken tile ground. 

His Shadow leered at him. "You're just trying to act like a big shot... If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! Amagi suddenly disappearing? She's just the perfect excuse!" 

"That's not true!" Yosuke shouted, his voice steadied by agitation. "What are you!? Who are you!?"

They were getting close to the fight, now. "I'm you... Your Shadow... There's nothing I don't know about you!" 

"Screw that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!" Yu looked to Chie and nodded, and the pair readied themselves for a fight. Yosuke fell to the ground as a black mist enveloped his Shadow, and Yu watched as the figure took on a larger form, growing more than half the size of the courtyard they were in. 

"That's right... I'm me now." Its voice echoed over them. Yu glanced over at Chie, and saw that she was ready to fight. "I am a shadow... The true self... I'll crush everything that bores me, starting with you!" The monster, whose appearance was noticeably less human than Chie's Shadow had been, pointed towards Yu. Its upper body, which was humanoid and resembled Yosuke's Persona, was attached to a four-legged frog-like body, with two black and red eyestalks. 

Yu pulled out the bokken he'd bought earlier and readied himself for an attack, steeling his mind and steadying his feet. The Shadow reared up on its hind legs and smashed its feet into the ground, sending forth a wave of green energy. He heard Chie yelp as the wind nipped at her legs and face. She was the first to retaliate, calling Tomoe forth and firing a blast of ice and frost at its leg. The flesh, or whatever material constituted its leg, was left with pockmarks that oozed a black liquid. 

Izanagi followed up with a bolt of lightning, sending Yosuke's Shadow crashing to the ground. "What a freaking pain in the ass!" It shouted, Yosuke's voice booming all across the courtyard. "Get out of my way!" The Shadow recovered its footing before either of them could attack, and swiped at Chie. She screamed as she was knocked to the ground and rolled onto her back. Her first fight wasn't going very well, though he was hardly surprised considering what they were fighting. 

"Izanagi!" He shouted, and willed his Persona forth to cut into its leg. Izanagi's glaive was surprisingly effective at rending apart the monster's body, and it screeched out in pain as he left a gash in its leg. Yu stumbled to the left as Izanagi was slapped by one of the large yellow hands attached to Yosuke's Shadow's body, the pain and force being transferred to his as well. 

Chie got up and summoned Tomoe, smashing an ethereal tarot card out of the air with the back of her heel. Her Persona shot forwards and cut into the Shadow with her dual-bladed naginata. "You're going down!" it shouted, and she managed to dodge out of the way before she was hit. Yu guarded his body with his bokken again as the Shadow gathered his energy and let out another wave of wind. Chie was prepared for it this time and defended herself. 

When Yu struck back with another Zio, the Shadow fell down and didn't stand back up. Nodding to Chie, the pair unleashed their Personas on the monster. Tomoe cut at its legs as Izanagi tore into its body; within seconds, its hind legs gave out and a black mist enveloped it. He watched as its form slowly shrunk, shifting back into Yosuke's body. "I-I..." Yu heard him stutter just behind him.

"Yosuke, are you okay?" Teddie asked, running up to him as he stood up to his feet.

"Y-Yeah... What... happened?" Yosuke was still confused, and winced as he saw himself standing a few meters in front of him. "You... You're not me..." He uttered, and the blue fog around his Shadow darkened ever so slightly. 

"That thing came from you, Yosuke..." Yu walked up and patted him on the shoulder. "You have to admit it... or it'll go berserk again." He was glad for Teddie's assistance, the bear's knowledge of the Shadows coming in handy. 

He looked between Yu, Chie, and Teddie, then back at himself again, wincing at the sight. "You're still yourself, Hanamura." 

"Myself..." He said, looking back at Yu. "Damnit... It hurts to face yourself..." Yosuke looked back at his Shadow, then walked over towards him. "I knew it wasn't lying, but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it." Yosuke groaned, then looked himself in the eyes. "You're me... and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me." His Shadow slowly nodded, and in a burst of light transformed into his Persona. Yosuke dropped to his knees, exhausted from the process of accepting himself. 

"Come on," Yu said, bringing him up to his feet and supporting him. "Let's get you home." 

"But Yukiko..." He could hardly meet her eyes as he looked back at her, and shook his head. 

Yosuke was leaning on him, with one arm over his shoulder. "He's too tired to go in, Satonaka. We'll head in tomorrow." Part of him wanted to storm in and rescue her today, too, but he knew that it'd be too taxing on Chie. Yosuke would be in danger, too, if they decided to just leave him out front. 

"How long do you think we have to save Yukiko?" Chie's voice broke the momentary silence that had fallen over them as they started on their way back to the backlot. Yu thought for a moment as to what he could say, leaving her question unanswered for a short while. 

"Yamano and I were found just after the fog had set in, which was just after a few days of rain. When's the next big storm coming in?" 

Chie furrowed her brow for a moment, calling upon her memories of the weather forecast. "I don't think there's going to be one for a while... That means she's safe, right?" Yu nodded, and looked back towards the bear as he piped up.

"The shadows only go after normal people when the fog lifts and they go berserk," he said. "So long as she's out by the time the fog lifts, she'll be okay." Normal people, huh? Yu figured that meant people who didn't have a Persona. Yeah; Chie had been able to run past the first floor last time, seemingly without running into any shadows. 

Chie and Teddie talked about the weather between worlds as they walked; primarily, how each world possesses the opposite weather of the other. Yu paid them half attention, already knowing the details himself. "So, to sum it up; people get thrown in, and once everything fogs up on our side, the person's Shadow goes berserk and kills them. Right?" Teddie nodded, affirming his brief explanation for Yosuke and Chie.

He lamented that his knowledge of the TV World did nothing for his own personal predicament, whether it be of how he got here or why. Whenever he'd give time to thinking about it, thoughts would spin around in his head without producing an answer. Memories and events would intertwine with Igor, the Velvet Room, and the TV World, and nothing would come of it. Yu only realized that was happening again when his chain of thought was broken by Yosuke patting him on the shoulder and pushing himself off. "Thanks, Narukami, but I think I can stand on my own now." 

Yu nodded, and watched sadly as he shuffled away from him. Yosuke's arm around his neck had left a phantom feeling of warmth, a sensation he didn't quite know what to make of. He shook his head, and distracted himself with the environments they passed through on their way back to the backlot. 

They arrived at the backlot after half an hour of travel, and Teddie summoned a collection of TVs for them to leave through. "So, we just gotta come back tomorrow, right?" Yosuke said, looking back at them as he stood in front of the TVs. "And don't think about coming in without me, got it?" Chie and Yu nodded in response.

"Let's make it a rule; no one goes in alone. It's way too dangerous, especially if you can't get out." Yu remembered them making the same promise last time, and was relieved when neither of the others had any immediate objections. 

"If we don't work together," Yosuke said, "we won't be able to solve this case or save Amagi... right?" Yu and Chie nodded, and he continued. "Alright. From tomorrow on, then, let's try and come here as much as we can after school, including days off."

Hopefully, they wouldn't have to spend too much time in the TV, with Izanagi as strong as he was. "Hey, Narukami?" Chie spoke up, and he looked over at her. "Would you mind... being our leader? You've got more experience than either of us, and you're way stronger, too. So... lead us?" Yosuke opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it and nodded in agreeance. 

Yu smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks. I'm a lot more comfortable with this, knowing you'll be in charge." Yosuke frowned, but quickly realized that he agreed.

"Yeah. I'm more of an ideas guy anyways, so I wouldn't be good at ordering us around." After Yosuke's affirmation, it was time for even Teddie agreed with the idea, though Yu supposed it was only natural considering his near reverence for him. 

"Teddie, would you please stop talking? I can only listen to your voice so much at once..." Yosuke snirked at her comment, and Yu's amusement at them nearly distracted him from the flourishing feeling of warmth and strength in his chest. The Bond of the Fool, he recognized it as, and a part of him wanted to vomit. Images of Namatame's hospital room ran through his head, the memory of each and every link he had breaking and separating. Feeling its presence soothed him, but it was overpowered by the feeling of dread, knowing it could irreversibly break. "Uh, Narukami? Are you okay?" Her question was ripe with concern, but it went unappreciated.

"I'm fine," he managed out, his throat nearly choking out his voice, and almost threw himself into the TV.

\---

Yu didn't look at the other customers as he left the store, nor did he bother to wait for any of the others to come out of the TV. He wanted to get home, wanted to make it into his room where no one would see him puke if he did. His phone vibrated in his pocket as he got a text, and he made it a whole block away from Junes before he finally looked at it. 'U okay?' It read, a message from Yosuke.

For a while, he didn't know how to answer. Would he even understand what he meant if he went on about his links and bonds with other people? Yu doubted it, considering what Igor had said to him previously; his ability of the Wild Card was strengthened by his bonds with the people around him, and by extension, they were strengthened too. It was hard to put that in words, and even with what they'd seen today, even harder to convince someone it was real. In the end, a simple 'no' had to suffice. 

'If u need anything dude, lmk' He smiled at Yosuke's concern, appreciating it yet unable to muster a response. They had been so close... yet here he was, almost a stranger to him. Though, Yu realized, he had already been less for the past four months. He closed his phone and shoved it into his pocket, and tried his best to hurry home before he could get another text. Dojima was still at work by the time he got back, and he quickly headed to his room to sleep his nausea and the rest of the afternoon away.

"Dinner's ready," he heard through his door, followed by Nanako's light footsteps down the stairs. He sat up and groaned, still slightly sick from earlier. He yawned, then pulled himself out of his futon and over to his door. Dojima was home now, and was sat by Nanako at the table in the living room. He nodded at Yu as he sat down, and quickly frowned.

"You okay, Yu? You look miserable." Yu shrugged, opening the package of food that Nanako had ordered. It was take out from Aiya, and he quickly added in a dash of sauce to give it a little extra kick. Dinner was quiet, the only real sound coming from the news that played in the background. Dojima, either unwilling to press further or satisfied with his answer, said nothing. 

Yu was in the process of walking towards the stairs when the phone rang, and without a thought he picked up. Immediately, he was greeted by the jarring voice of Mr. Morooka. "Can I speak to Narukami, please?"

"You're talking to him," he replied, earning a grunt from the teacher.

"I've got something for you to pick up. Can you meet me at the south side of the shopping district?" Dojima looked up from the paper he was reading and over at Yu. 

Yu sighed; he didn't have the patience to deal with Mr. Morooka, let alone a tired, possibly drunk Mr. Morooka. "Sure," he said, then placed the phone back on the receiver. 

Dojima turned around in his chair to face him. "Need to go somewhere?" Yu nodded, and he folded up his newspaper. "Why don't I give you a ride, then?" Yu smiled, and walked towards the door to put his shoes on. Dojima quickly did the same, and led him towards the car out front. Yu settled into the passenger seat, and watched as Dojima started the car and pulled out of the garage. 

"We haven't had time to talk like this since you got here, huh?" Yu looked over at Dojima as the detective spoke, and hummed in agreeance. Things were silent despite the promising start, as Dojima tried to find something to talk about. "Uhhh.... Well, how's school? Adjusted to it yet?" 

"Yeah," Yu said. "It's fun." 

Dojima laughed quietly. "I see... That's good to hear. Your school days come and go before you've realized it, you know. Make sure you have fun whilst you can." 

Yu nodded, and looked out the window as they drove down the streets. "I'll be sure to do that." 

"What else... Oh, yeah... have any friends yet?" He could sense Dojima's awkwardness through his voice, something that it pained him to see.

"I've got a few, yeah." Memories ran through him, and he quickly put them out of mind before they ran him through. 

"That's good to hear, too." The rest of the ride went on in silence, and they soon pulled up to Mr. Morooka on the side of the road. 

There was a high school student with him, and judging by the trembling of her legs he'd been grilling her. "Oh, you're here early." Mr. Morooka tossed a paper bag into the car, which landed on Yu's lap. "This is the school jersey I got for you!" Yu looked inside the bag, then nodded his thanks. "Now that you've got it, get the hell out of here!"

Dojima's eyelid damn near twitched at that, and he started up the car and turned the car around. "Can't blame you for what happened, if that's what you've got to deal with in your homeroom..." Yu bit back a smirk and nodded. "Though, that was it? A school jersey? He could've just given you that at school..." 

Yu nodded in agreeance, idly watching the faintly illuminated outlines of buildings pass by as they drove back home. Neither of them spoke, not even when they got out of the car and headed inside. "Looks like Nanako's gone to bed already," Dojima said grimly. "Go get some sleep, now. You've got school tomorrow."

He nodded, then made his way upstairs, careful not to make too much noise and wake Nanako. He yawned as he changed out of his school clothes, and promptly went to sleep.


	8. Re-entry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've definitely written more.

The pit in his stomach had alleviated by the time he woke up, but some nervousness still remained with him. Yu finished his breakfast quickly, then headed out for school to get some fresh air. The sickness from yesterday's memories hung over him like a cloud, ever ready to rain and cover him in a thick, impenetrable fog. "What if it happens again" and "what if I can't stop it" were common questions, and even though a part of him wanted to accept that as being the best he could've done, another part refused. 

He stopped at a vending machine and slipped ¥120 into the slot, ordering a TaP Soda before continuing to school. The taste and slight sting of the drink's carbonation helped pull him out of his slump, if only by distracting him. He'd already finished it by the time he got to Samegawa, and he placed the can into a side pouch of his bag. Maybe there'd be-

"Yo!" The sound of a bike bell ringing coupled with Yosuke's greeting pulled him out of his thoughts before he could spiral into them. "Yesterday really happened, didn't it? Amagi's in there, in that castle..." Yu nodded, assuring his friend of what had happened. 

"Are you worried?" Yu couldn't blame him if he was; his friend had mere days until death, if they didn't do anything to rescue her. 

Yosuke nodded, his face downcast. "It still feels so surreal, though. Knowing that we have to save our friend by jumping into a TV." He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Even if it's that world that's killing them, whoever's behind it is still using it as a weapon. It's unforgivable." Damnit, just stop calling back to that night already... "We need to find the culprit, no matter what it takes!"

His heart ached as he listened to Yosuke's words, his convictions and his courage. "There's no way the police can do it... Who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into a TV?" Yu nodded, quickly working up the strength to speak.

"We've got to put an end to this," he said, hardly able to meet Yosuke's eyes.

"Yeah, I agree..." Yosuke seemed to notice his discomfort, and paused for a second. "You know, I tried sticking my head in the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked." It was hardly surprising knowledge to him, and he simply nodded in response. "Do you think it's because of my... Persona, wasn't it?" Yu nodded again, then checked the time on his phone. They still had time. 

"We're the only ones who can solve it, then. You, me, and Satonaka." He caught himself before he said Chie again, and sighed. "But we can do it."

Yosuke smiled warmly as he reached his hand out towards Yu. "I feel like, as long as we're together, we can find the culprit and crack this case. Let's do our best, yeah?" He knew what was coming next, yet despite his hesitations reached forwards and grasped Yosuke's hand. Halfway through their handshake, he felt the burgeoning warmth in his chest; the link of the Magician had been formed. It made him feel strong, made him feel safe.

The feeling of Yosuke's bond in his chest made him resolve to find a way to stop it from ever breaking again. The warmth faded in waves, and left Yu to realize he was staring at nothing. "Let's get to class," he said suddenly, and Yosuke nodded. The pair walked the rest of the way to class, with Yosuke making a detour to stow his bike away. 

The classroom had nearly filled up by the time they got there, and Chie was already sat at her desk. They greeted each other as Yu and Yosuke made it to their seats, setting their bags down next to their desks. "Did you sleep well, Satonaka? Yu asked, glancing over towards his friend. 

She nodded, turning around to face him. "Yep. I was out cold until this morning." Chie frowned and turned her head slightly, considering something in her mind. "I don't think I said it earlier, but... thanks, for the other day." Yu cocked an eyebrow, as did Yosuke. "You know, when we faced my Shadow? I never thanked you." 

Ah, that. "Don't worry about it." 

Yosuke cleared his throat, a degree of embarrassed mirth on his face as well. "Thanks for yesterday, too, you guys... even though it was pretty embarrassing." Yu met his smile with one of his own, nodding towards him. "Say, Narukami. What was your Shadow like?" 

He paused for a moment, thinking. "...Insecurities." Yosuke nodded, a hint of sympathy in his expression before he turned back to Chie. 

"But even so," she said, "yours is so much stronger than mine. I could feel it when we were fighting yesterday; its aura and its power." Yu shrugged, looking away slightly embarrassed. What could he say to that? "Oh, b-but that's just something I noticed. I don't really mean anything, by it..." Chie looked away once she was done speaking, also slightly embarrassed. 

Yu smirked; he might as well have a little fun, something to distract him from his worries. "Falling for me, huh?"

Chie studied him for a few seconds, thinking. "Whoa... maybe you are my type." 

"Gimme a break..." Yosuke said beneath his breath, and the three of them laughed together. 

"Anyways... what's most important right now is that we rescue Yukiko in time." Yosuke and Yu nodded in confirmation of their priorities, and she continued. "You better not cheap out on us, Yosuke."

"Hell no," Yosuke said, vigourously shaking his head in vehement refusal of the idea. The school bell rang, the chime altogether too pleasant for what it signalled. "Oh, crap! I still haven't gone to the bathroom!" He quickly ran out of the room as the other students headed for their seats. Hopefully he'd make it. 

"Hey, um..." Yu looked back towards Chie, and waited for her to continue. "Again, th-thanks for saving me. Yosuke's cool and all, but..." Yu tried his best to keep up his friendly face as he thought, trying to reach back to his memories. Was she this sappy before? "But there really is something different about you. I feel like you won't let me down..." Yu was distracted by his efforts, and was surprised by the Bond of the Chariot. His smile was replaced by something more genuine, and he shifted his focus back to Chie. 

"Oh, before I forget," Yu said, pulling out his phone and flipping it open. "What's your number?"

He had to suppress a laugh as she blushed suddenly. "Wha...? Oh... right. You'll need this from now on, huh? Okay then." Chie pulled her phone out, and he saved her number in his contacts list. "Feel free to call any time..." He watched as her blush intensified, then died down. "We just have to be careful of the fog that sets in after the rain, right? Let's save her quick, before there's a chance for that to happen!" Yu nodded quickly, and she returned to her seat as Yosuke and Mr. Kondo stepped into the classroom. 

The class went by without much event, though he had been called on to answer a question relating to the English alphabet. He and Yosuke slipped notes back and forth for most of it, though it was mostly idle chatter to help pass the time. Yu could sense the unease of the other two, and caught Chie's multiple glances at the empty seat just in front of her. He wasn't sure what to make of his lack of concern or worry for her; logically he should be nervous, but knowing that they rescued her without much issue last time alleviated most of that worry. 

Worst of all his concerns, though, was knowing who had thrown her in. The conflict over what he should do with Namatame spurred his doubts over what he was doing on; should he be okay with letting Namatame throw everyone in? No, of course not... He wasn't okay with it, but, if he wasn't he wouldn't let them go on. Except he couldn't do that without risking his chances of being able to solve the case. If there was something beyond him, and he couldn't handle it because he didn't have everyone, he...

Yu shook his head, a barely noticeable movement. Igor's words came back to him as he thought, how he'd once said his destiny would be lost forever if he didn't fulfil his promise, which he'd soon made to Teddie. He'd promised to solve the case, and even though they'd caught Namatame, it felt to him like he hadn't found his true... destiny, if that's what it was. So, maybe there was something beyond Namatame. Where was Igor, anyways? He hadn't seen the old goblin at all since he got here, and-

The chime of the school bell interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back into the present. Chie turned to look at him almost immediately afterwards, a look of longing and worry on her face. "TV?" she said simply, and with a nod, the three were off.

\---

"First Narukami, and then Amagi... Never thought we'd get involved in something like this..." Those were the first words spoken by Yosuke as they, with more grace this time, fell through the TV at Junes. The three quickly put their glasses on, before the fog had a chance to weaken them. The door to the Velvet Room still wasn't there, not a single trace of it existing. Yu reached into his pocket and pulled out the ever so slightly transparent card that Margaret had given him, a mark for filling some of the compendium. 

This card signified the room's existence, he supposed, but that didn't get him inside. Yu realized that Chie, Yosuke, and Teddie had gathered at one of the exits, and he quickly headed over to meet up with them. "Is everyone ready?" At their signal, they left for the castle. He was glad that there were never any shadows on their way to the castle, or any of the other places for that matter. It made for safe, somewhat relaxed walks, though occasionally it was a jog when they really felt the need to hurry. 

Yu led them through the castle, and at first, the two were only feet behind him. With his weapon as blunt as it was, poking them wasn't much of an issue, which was nice considering their collective need to pile up right behind him. Despite the inconvenience of the spacing, a part of him liked the idea of being the 'shield' of the group, the part they all hid behind for a feeling of comfort and safety. Despite the detriment it was to his ability to backpedal, Yu said nothing as they explored the first floor of the castle. 

"Whoa, look out!" Yosuke's voice came as a warning to a trio of Hableries that snuck up behind them, and soon they were engaged in combat. One of them darted towards Chie, and with great force licked her. Given its size and strength, though, it was considerably closer to a bash than any lick he'd ever seen, like if Teddie had been told he had only one move to eat a Topsicle. Once she'd recovered from the initial shock, though, Chie quickly retaliated with a stab of Tomoe's naginata and defeated it. 

The rest of the fight was fairly routine and went without a hitch. He and Yosuke killed the other two shadows, and all that was left was a scattering of teeth and other small items that he could pawn off for cash. "What do we do with these?" Chie asked, crouching down to look at one of the teeth. Yu, meanwhile, wasted no time in collecting the more valuable of the items. 

"There's probably something," he said, and ignored their odd stares as he went. Once he'd finished, with all of them in his back pocket, he guided them further into the castle. They encountered a few shadows along the way, but they were quickly disposed of in a similar manner. Yu led them up the stairs, and onto the floor that they'd fought Chie last time. 

"That's a big door," she said, unnerved by it. Yu walked up, reaching his hand towards the handle before being stopped by Teddie. 

"Sensei! I sense someone up ahead." Yu nodded as the other two readied their weapons, and pushed the door open. Inside, on the other side of the room, stood Yukiko's Shadow.

"Amagi!" Yosuke shouted, running forwards and forcing the other three to catch up. "Are you alright?" 

A dark blue aura was gathered around her, though it was less noticeable than the pink and white dress she wore. Yu had forgotten just how large the petticoat was on it, though he quickly shook the thought out of his head as she turned around. "Yukiko? What's wrong?" The Shadow burst into laughter, a fit made unnerving by the odd quality of her voice. 

"Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into all this!" Yukiko spoke into the microphone, then chuckled. "Things are really heating up!" Her eyes, yellow and piercing, lent an unnerving feeling to her appearance. "Okie-dokie! I'm going back to hunt for my Prince Charming! Ohhh, where could he be...?" Yu tuned her out, preferring not to listen to her ravings as he watched the room for any surprise shadows. The only thing that came up was the large, bright, fluorescent logo that came straight out of an old, low budget TV show. 

"Wh-what the hell is going on?" Yosuke muttered behind him, looking around the room. 

Chie stepped forwards, ready to launch herself at the Shadow. "You're not Yukiko... Who are you!?" 

The Shadow laughed, waving her microphone around. "What are you talking about? I am Yukiko... and Yukiko is me." Chie groaned, and redoubled her efforts towards getting an answer out of her. 

"Where's the real Yukiko!?" A grumbling of voices and sounds echoed around them, frightening Chie and Yosuke into defensive positions. 

Teddie nestled himself in between the three fighters of the group, looking around. "The shadows are getting agitated," he said, a hint of fear in his voice. 

"Well, I'm off again! You'd better be ready for me, my dear Prince!" With that, Yukiko's Shadow dashed off towards the room's exit. 

Yu grabbed Chie by the shoulder, preventing her from running after her. She stopped, then turned to face the rest of the group somewhat guiltily. "That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko... It had to be her Shadow, right?" Yu and Teddie nodded, assuring her that they'd encountered her repressed self. 

"So it's just like what happened to us..." Yu realized that he was a part of us this time, and nodded just after Chie. 

Now it was Teddie's turn to speak, and the group faced him. "I don't think she was excited for nothing, though. It felt like... like she had a strong connection to this castle. Maybe she wants to show us something?" Yu dwelled on the thought...

Chie prompted him forwards, making her way towards the door to follow Yukiko's path. "Come on, let's go!" Yu nodded, and followed after her as he shoved his thoughts to the side. Yukiko's voice rang overhead, talking about her Prince Charming and how she'd always be waiting for him. It seemed that Chie had been emboldened by the sight of her best friend's Shadow, and remained a few feet ahead of Yu and Yosuke as they searched the floor for the next set of stairs.

Their efforts carried them through the castle, going through one floor after the other. Yu could feel that the others were tired, and he'd exhausted their supply of soul drops with keeping them going and ready for whatever came at them. Now, on the fifth floor, they stood in front of a door. "I can sense someone on the other side... it's that girl from earlier!" Shouted Teddie, who had put his nose to good use once he'd gotten used to the dungeon environment. It was nice having a general idea of where things would be coming from, as well as how strong they were.

Ah, but that didn't matter right now. "Are you three ready?" Yu asked, looking at the others. Chie and Yosuke seemed a little hesitant, but were willing to enter. "After this, we're done for the day." He pushed the door open, stepping inside and catching a glimpse of Yukiko's Shadow next to a massive Avenger Knight. 

"What is that thing!?" Yosuke shouted, though his question went unanswered.

Yukiko chuckled, staring at the group from the knight's side. "My Prince wouldn't lose to guards such as this, correct?" The knight charged them, and their break in formation to evade it gave her ample time to leave the room. The knight's ethereal mount turned around, only to get blasted in the neck by a Garu from Yosuke. Yu eyed the heavy lance it couched, knowing it could very easily punch a hole in one of them. 

Izanagi shot forwards, and with a swing of its glaive ripped a hole in the mount's cloth, before moving just out of the way of a stab. When Tomoe's naginata rang against the metal armour of the ghostly knight, he knew that they had found their rhythm. Now, they just had to dance their own dance. 

He watched as Yosuke leapt out of the way of a would-be gut skewering jab, and a part of him tightened up even from across the room. Things like this were why he needed to get stronger, so that he could do the fighting that they couldn't. Yu groaned, realizing he'd distracted himself with thinking as he willed his Persona forwards once more and sliced a canyon into the knight's armour. Its mount fell to the floor, and the avenger's Arcana mask fell from its head and bounced under the metal plating. 

They took the opportunity to hammer on the knight as best they could whilst it was down, though it stood itself back up and slammed the side of its spear against Jiraiya. Yosuke clutched at his side, as if trying to pad down a wound that wasn't there. Before he could get hit again, Yu shot forwards to attack and distract him with Izanagi. His glaive raked across its metal plating, leaving a shallow scratch on all that it dragged across. With its attention focused on him, the others could concentrate on dishing out as much damage as they could.

Yu's occasional attack and provocation were enough to keep the Avenger Knight's attention, and by the time it was knocked down again by a surprise Bufu, the others hadn't been targetted. "Now!" He shouted, and the three charged forwards. All throughout the fight, he'd been focusing on the mount's neck, weakening and beating on the metal without breaking it entirely. Now, however, he put his all into one last attack to finish the fight off. He charged forwards with Izanagi, and thrust directly into the armour with his glaive. The blade broke through, and upon making contact with the shadow's mask, broke that too.

He and his Persona stood still, watching the Shadow begin to dissipate and fade into nothing. The Avenger Knight disappeared, a collection of small items left behind, just like the other shadows. Yu pocketed them all, then looked around at Chie, Yosuke, and Teddie. "Are you okay, Sensei?" Teddie's voice was the first thing any of them heard once the fight was over, bringing a smile to his lips. "I'm sure we've got a long ways to go. Don't push yourself too hard!" 

There was a small glass key laying in the middle of the room, which Yu bent down and picked up. "We're fine, I think." He turned towards the others and nodded, taking out a Goho-M and invoking its power. With a disorienting flash of light, the Investigation Team found themselves outside of the castle. Yu contented himself with listening to their idle small talk as they made their way to the backlot, though their conversation mostly pertained to the events inside the castle. He couldn't fault Yosuke for being more than a little scared, considering he hadn't fought something as big as that knight before. 

It was odd, he noted, having the roles of experience reversed between Yosuke and Chie. Hopefully it wouldn't get in the way of Yosuke becoming his second, though; Chie was bright and smart when it counted, but she didn't possess the same tactical acumen and thought process he needed to bounce ideas off of. Yu sighed and shrugged, saying nothing as they stepped back into the backlot. He looked to his right, and saw that there was still no Velvet Room. 

He'd just have to go without, he thought, as he climbed through the TV set. 

\---

"Welcome back!" 

It was the first thing he heard when he walked into the house, and like always, it brought a smile to his face. The only dou- no, no. Yu leashed his thoughts back to the present, before they had a chance of wandering towards the end of the year. He walked over towards the fridge, curious if there was anything to be found within. Most of the fridge's contents were staple items and leftovers from the night before, but...

Right in front of him stood the lone, isolated, and menacing slice of ham that had so thoroughly intimidated him last time, so completely filled him with a sense of dread at eating it. The thought of eating it had filled him with something fierce, a desire to shut the door, head up to his room, and forget about the slice of ham that he so very much detested. 

His hand trembled as he reached forwards, grabbing the edge of the paper plate that it rested within and carefully pulling it out. Yu handled the plate as if it were the case to one of the Dice he found in the dungeons, as if even the most minute of sudden, uncontrolled movement would detonate it and deliver the house and its residents to kingdom come in a second. 

Yu, with the gracefulness of Yukiko Amagi greeting the Emperor himself, set the ham down on the corner of the rustic wooden table in the kitchen. If he couldn't handle this single, entirely unimportant cut of pork, then what could he handle? His heart pounded as he slowly stepped away, refusing to even let it out of his sight as he inched towards the utensil drawer. Now armed with a pair of wooden chopsticks, he returned to the site of the ham plate and readied himself. He was really doing this.

He was about to eat the ham.

.

..

...

Yu's mouth was stained with the taste of the meat, even after two bottles of milk that he'd taken from the fridge. It wasn't bad, but... somehow, it had been so unbelievably rich in taste and texture that it felt like he'd downed a whole pot of Mumon's coffee and never blacked out from it. It didn't matter what he put in his mouth, for nothing beat the ham...

After brushing his teeth with copious amounts of toothpaste and mouthwash, Yu went to bed and prayed the taste would be gone by morning.


	9. Relaxation

Yu's ringtone was the morning's alarm, and he flopped down onto the floor in order to pull his phone off the charger. He flipped it open and accepted the call, pressing it up to his ear. "Hello, Narukami?" He grunted in affirmation of his identity, and Chie's voice continued. "I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it into the TV today. I guess I overdid it yesterday..." Yu silently cursed himself for pushing them too hard, though he certainly felt the burn himself when he pushed himself upright.

"Don't worry, that's fine. We'll take the day off then." Chie agreed, and was halfway through her goodbyes when she stopped herself. 

"O-Oh, uh, I almost forgot! Good morning." Yu blinked as he opened his mouth to reply, only to find she'd hung-up on him. He shook his head as a smile crept onto his face, then closed the phone and got ready for school. His muscles ached from yesterday, and he was largely unfazed by the whole ordeal; Chie and Yosuke probably had it far worse than he did. Yu shrugged, and put those thoughts off as he headed to school. It was the 19th, and he realised that more than a week had already blown by. 

Mr. Morooka's lectures were boring as always, and it seemed he'd finally gone back to his usual routine of blowing up on kids more than once a class. Chie and Yosuke were closer to dead than alive today, and he had to poke Chie a few times in class to prevent her from passing out in the middle of a lecture. She'd thank him, and the process would repeat after about an hour and a half. 

By some miracle, Mr. Morooka never noticed the calls to sleep that Chie and Yosuke fought against, for he would have yelled at them to wake them up. The worst part, though, is it would have worked; kicking in your fight or flight responses was a fairly decent wake-up call. Yu, similarly, escaped his attention and left class unscathed and unscarred from another day at the mercy of Morooka, and he bid the other two farewell before leaving. Now was a good time to buy some supplies, namely some sodas and some medicine. 

He ignored the club posters plastered on the side of the hallways, and left school immediately. First on his agenda was a trip to the shopping district, which he entered from the northern side of the street. Yu stopped at the vending machine outside of the Konishi Liquors, and ended up with eight cans of Dr. Salt NEO before the machine ran out. 

Next up was the Shiroku Store, and he bought a single pack of medicine before stepping outside and buying five TaP Sodas. His bag was almost uncomfortably heavy now, weighed down by the sheer weight of the thirteen sodas. Yu looked into his wallet and sighed, realizing he only had ¥354 to his name. It's a shame there wasn't good money in the TV World, at least not yet...

Groaning, he started down the street only to be startled by Marie when he almost walked into her. "Huh...? Do I know you?" She asked, leaning towards him quizzically. 

Yu stammered for a short while, caught off guard by her appearance, then pulled himself together and nodded. "I believe we met... at the train station?" Marie leaned back, and thought on his answer. 

"Oh, maybe." Her answer was as short as ever, though her presence gave him something new to think about; the blue hat and bag told him she had definitely come from the Velvet Room, so why couldn't he enter? He was pulled from his thoughts by another question. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Yu," he blurted out, feeling somewhat intimidated by her brashness.

Marie nodded her head, repeating his name a few times as if getting a feel for it. "Oh! You're the one that The Nose was talking about." Igor was talking about him? "Hmm..." She looked away again, staring off into space as she thought. "Hey, why don't you show me around? It's dark, and cold, and stuffy in the room, and The Nose never says anything. It's boring." Yu remembered last time how they had this conversation in the room, as well as how her comment had slightly irritated Igor; a part of him wished he could see it again, the man's expression almost comical. 

"So? Margaret made me promise I wouldn't go very far, since 'our guest' wasn't there to 'soopervice' me, whatever that means. But since you're here..." Yu grinned at her mannerisms, and nodded. 

Suddenly he realised how much he had missed hanging out with her; it'd been since at least October that he'd spent time with Marie, whether it be with or without the rest of the team. "Yeah, I can take you somewhere."

"Really!?" She exclaimed, as if he'd blindsided her with his answer. "Don't you think you're giving in too easily? I'll have you twisted around my finger if you keep this up..." Yu shrugged slightly; he didn't intend to make himself that easy. "That's the saying, right? I've been studying." 

"Yeah," he said with a nod, coaxing a proud smile out of her. "Anyways, what do you want to see?"

Marie shrugged, looking at the shopping district all around her. "I don't care. Somewhere." Yu nodded, and started down the street towards Souzai Daigaku. "Hey, where are you going?!" she shouted, still stood right where he'd left her.

"...I'm taking you somewhere?" 

Marie's puzzled expression quickly turned into an embarrassed blush, and she hurried towards his side. Yu couldn't help but grin and cock a brow at her behaviour, which only further saturated the colour of her cheeks once she noticed. "Sh-Shut up, just take me somewhere." 

"But I didn't say any-"

A light rap of her knuckles on his arm told him to get going and shut the hell up, to which he chuckled and obliged. It was hardly much of a walk to the food shop, and within a minute they had arrived. Marie took in a deep breath, looking around at the district. Everything was painted in a neutral, even light, the heavy clouds overhead preventing most shadows from forming. "Phew... I can finally walk around, now." Yu nodded as they stopped in front of the store to talk. "Y'know... I feel weird. It's like-... like I'm nostalgic for the smell, and all."

Yu understood what she meant; everything about Inaba was nostalgic to him, because he let it be. The ruralness, the ease and lack of hurry in everyone... Something about it had a nostalgic appeal if you wanted it to, even if you'd hardly been there in your life. "It's because it's the countryside, you know."

"Is that why?" she asked, looking to him for an answer. "The 'countryside' makes me feel nostalgic? Hm..." A bicyclist rode by them as they talked, momentarily grabbing Yu's attention. It wasn't Yosuke. "Hey, what's this?" 

Marie was looking at the shop, now, and Yu turned to look with her. "It's a food store. You can buy food here." She looked at him for a few seconds, then back to the clerk. Yu followed her as she walked up to speak with the lady running it.

"Hey, lady. I want one of those skewer things." Yu checked the price of the skewer and sighed with relief as he realised he had just enough money to pay for one. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking the rest of his change out and getting as close to ¥320 on the counter as he could. "Thwee hunnert twin... Nope. That's too hard to say." Yu smiled at her attempt to say the price, and quickly slid the money towards the other side of the counter. "You can't eat without money?" Marie asked, to which he shook his head. She looked somewhat dejected at his answer.

It struck Yu that she probably didn't realize he'd just paid for the skewers. "I've got enough money for one, so don't worry."

Her face lit up, like Nanako's whenever he showed her a magic trick. "You have money!?" Yu nodded and smiled at her surprise; though, had it been any other person he might have been offended. "That's awesome. You're awesome." He gestured for her to sit down on at the table, and headed towards the opposite stool. She grumbled as she sat down, her legs grinding on the rough wood surface of the seat. "...This isn't comfortable."

"I'm afraid not everything is as comfortable as the seats in the Velvet Room." Marie looked somewhat sad at the realization that comfort wasn't as widespread as she might have thought it to be. "You know, these are basically the local speciality around here. The steak, that is."

Marie cocked her brow at that. "Steak is the local what-now?" The lady running the store interrupted them before he could clarify, and he stood up to take the plate of skewers from her. Yu placed them in front of Marie, who quickly started eating.

He smiled at the wide range of emotions and faces that she made, her expression changing with every other bite. Soon, though, she was finished with one and moved on to the other. He waited until she was done eating before speaking again. "So? How'd you like it?" 

Her eyes looked down at the barren skewers laying on the plate. "It's really weird. It's tough, hard to bite into, and it got cold whilst I was still eating it. It was delicious." Yu chuckled at her reaction to the skewer, and was glad that she liked it. "Why's it called 'steak', anyways? Is it short for something?"

"Yeah. It's short for 'beefsteak.'" Evidently this puzzled Marie, for her face scrunched up in thought. She repeated the whole word slowly, getting a feel for it.

Then she shook her head. "But if you drop the word 'beef' from it, you don't know what it's made of. It should be something like... 'fsteak.'" He laughed once at her suggestion, smiling at her. 

"I don't think that makes it much better, you know." Marie said nothing, instead shifting her attention back onto the nearly empty plate. "Something wrong?" 

"...You eat this every day?" Marie pouted as she looked at him. "No fair. I should've come earlier..." 

Yu cleared his throat, pulling her out of her wallowings. "Well, I'm sure I can take you here whenever you want." 

The great smile on her told him he'd said the right thing. "Really? Thanks." She picked up one of the wooden skewers, slightly singed from the heat of the oven and the meat it once held. "You know, you're kind of funny. But you bought me meat, which makes you a good person. That is fact." Yu smiled at the compliment, though he doubted the word 'funny' was meant as a compliment in this scenario. 

She set the skewer back on the plate as she stood up. "Hey, let's go somewhere else. Somewhere with a nice view." Yu, after giving it some short thought, acquiesced and accompanied her to the park on the hill. There was a nice overlook there, and the path up was pretty pleasant, too. Unfortunately, his attention was taken up by Marie, who had a habit of disappearing whenever he looked away for more than a second. 

After much difficulty, they finally made it to the park. It would have been easier had he just carried her up the entire way, even when accounting for the extra physical effort. Marie had an awful habit of running towards something that caught her eye and interrogating Yu about it. Had he not lived here for a year already, he doubted he would have been able to answer everything. "Hmmm... It's really green here. Green and... green. And some brown and... Darker green?" 

"Yes, Marie..." His voice was ripe with exasperation and exhaustion. "The park is a lot of green and brown things." The wind suddenly strengthened, and picked up a handful of dropped leaves, carrying them high into the air as they soared off the side of the hill. Marie watched, raptly engrossed in the sight. She started murmuring to herself, though Yu couldn't quite pick up on what she was saying. 

She didn't seem to realize this, as she turned to him with a panic laden expression. "N-No! I-I-I wasn't making up a poem!" Yu raised an eyebrow in response.

"You were making a poem?" 

Marie punched him, too light to do any damage but strong enough to get the point across. "It's just some words that I was thinking! That's all! Yeah!" She focused her eyes on him, and upon seeing that he was entirely unconvinced, turned away. "ShutupIhateyouyoustupidjerk! Don't snoop on me!"

Yu chuckled, and started over towards the lookout point of the park. They'd gathered here for the summer fireworks, too... "Wow, it's pretty big..." Marie was next to him in a flash, looking at Inaba by his side. Contrasted against the immediate trees and the large hills on the other side of town, Inaba seemed pretty small. "I don't know why... but I feel good about this place. It reminds me of something." She looked at him, smiling. "Are there any other places we can go to? I want to see more."

Today was going to be longer than he initially thought, he realised. "Yeah, I can show you around."

Her smile was almost enough payment. "I notice a lot of things when I'm with you. It's pretty fun." Yu smiled back at her, and was just about to turn away when he felt a warmth flow through his chest. The Bond of the Aeon Arcana had just formed, linking him and Marie together. "So, where to next?"

Yu thought for a moment, wondering where he could take her. He was broke, which meant buying her anything was out of the question; so, nothing with a shop of any sort. The riverbank, maybe? It was a pleasant view, and there was nothing to buy. Did she even know what a river was? Maybe... He shrugged as he led Marie back into town, allowing her to travel just in front of him as they walked. It was much easier to keep an eye on her this way, though it meant having to tell her which way they were going.

Still, it was better than the reverse of the situation. Yu even recognized Kanji as they made their way over, but he refrained from saying anything. By the time they'd arrived at the riverbank, it was already early evening. "So, what do you do here?"

Her question was in the back of his mind as he climbed onto the concrete debris in the river and sat down, staring into the water. "You relax," he stated simply, prompting Marie to climb up with him.

"Is that what you're doing now?" She sat down a few feet away from him, dangling her legs off the edge of the concrete. He nodded; the sounds of the gently flowing river, the birds and other small animals that gathered and lived along it, the occasional silhouette of a fish that swam past... it was all deeply soothing. He'd often come here to relax when he most needed to, especially during the later months of the year. 

A part of him was tempted to take a nap, even, but he refrained from it for fear of offending Marie. "Hey, Marie. What did Igor say about me?" Her comment came back to him, and now was as good a time as any. 

She shrugged, looking over at him. "Who- oh, you mean The Nose? He didn't say much, just that he was having issues someone-ing you to the Velvet Room." Yu nodded, leaning back and holding himself up by bracing his hands on the concrete surface. 

"Got it... Thanks." Igor was having troubles with summoning him to the room, then? That would explain why he hadn't been called, as well as why he couldn't visit. He had seen nothing of them for a while, now. But, the riverbank was not the place for thinking, and thus he put it out of his mind. A long while passed, and he heard Marie muttering something to herself again.

"W-W-Wait, I wasn't-"

"I didn't hear anything," he said, before she blew up on him or punched him again. She sighed out of relief, then got up. "Want to head back now?"

Marie nodded, and Yu carefully stood up, not wanting to fall into the river. He walked her back to the shopping district, and watched her disappear into nothing where the door to the Velvet Room would have been. He stared at the location for a few seconds, his mind lingering on memories, then started down the street. 

It was mid-evening by the time he got home, and he was welcomed by Nanako as he stepped inside. It warmed his heart, like always, though he didn't stop to chat as he headed upstairs to grab a change of clothes. Yu set them down on the bathroom counter and locked the door, before turning the shower on and stripping. There was nothing quite like a nice, warm shower after a day of being out and about, without any bandages to keep dry or any wounds to clean. 

He sighed with content as he stepped out of the shower, quickly drying off and changing into his clothes. After saying his goodnight to Nanako, he headed up into his room and fell into his futon. Sleep came quick, his exhaustion from dealing with Marie all day delivering him to a quick rest. But even then she did not leave him, appearing in his dreams.

The contents of what had happened within his mind were lost to him as he woke. Yu stifled a yawn as he got up, sending a handful of texts to Chie and Yosuke to see how they were doing before heading down for food. Nanako had just finished, and he sat down to enjoy a plate of food hot out of the toaster and just off the stove. "How's school been?" He asked, wanting to make some small talk whilst he still could. 

Nanako looked in his direction, staring off into space as she thought. "It's been good. I've got lots of friends!" Yu smiled and nodded, pleased to hear things were going good for her. "What about you?"

Polite as ever. "I've made some friends, so it's going pretty good so far too." She smiled, and they ate without further conversation. He dismissed himself when he was done, and checked his phone as he got ready for school. When it seemed they had both recovered from their fatigue, he told them to get ready to head into the TV after school. This would be the day, he thought. They'd rescue Yukiko today.

\---

School went by without issue, excepting for when he had to cover Yosuke for a question. They headed for Junes immediately after school ended, a conviction present in all of their hearts. An unspoken promise to themselves and to the others that they'd find and rescue Yukiko today. It seemed Teddie could sense this, as he walked up and growled with enthusiasm. "Are we going in now, Sensei?" 

With a nod, the four were off. Their surroundings on the way to Yukiko's castle were a blur, hardly registered in Yu's mind as they tore down the path. They hardly stopped even once they got to the castle, ripping through the hallways and up the stairs as if Yukiko's life depended on them getting there as fast as possible. The sodas, snacks, and other supplies that he'd purchased for the day were tossed around and shaken up; if he got knocked down and landed on them too hard, they'd probably fizz up and pour ¥1200 down the drain, but that didn't matter.

He could tell that they would find a way to pull through. Their attacks were stronger, faster, and more accurate as they ascended the floors, each group of shadows being taken out faster than the group before. He couldn't help but feed off of this energy, sending Izanagi forwards to dance through groups of enemies on his own. Adrenaline was pumping, and he was glad that he didn't have a music player like Yosuke's at this moment. If he did, it would be the tempo and the feel of the song dictating his actions, and not any thought of his, rational or not. 

A voice in the back of his head told him this was unhealthy, that it was unsustainable, but he didn't listen. His tactics changed as they climbed up to the seventh floor, and he charged as they spotted the first shadows, committing to an onslaught with his bokken without even calling upon Izanagi. It wasn't until Yosuke tapped him on the shoulder that he realised the fight was over. "Partner, you okay?" 

He and Chie were looking at him with concerned expressions, and he grimaced. "...Yeah." Yosuke set his hand on his shoulder, filling Yu with a sense of warmth at the touch. "I'm sorry." 

Yosuke shook his head, his grip tightening. "There you go, being sorry again." Yu looked back and forth between Yosuke's eyes and his hand. Something about it felt so... nice. He realised he'd zoned out when Yosuke spoke up again. "If you need anything, just let us know, okay?" Yu nodded, slowly returning to his senses. 

"Okay," he said, after a minute or two of waiting. "Let's go." Yu packaged the dropped items, securing them in a pouch on his bag, then started down the hall. The others were performing as they usually were, and after what happened to him, it was all he could ask. They encountered new shadows this time, Magi and Balances, though they fell equally easily. Izanagi's glaive could sever fingers and break apart scales with ease, and Yu cleared the way towards the eighth floor. 

They came across the final flight of stairs after only a short while, and Yu opened his bag to hand out the provisions. "Sensei, do you feel it too?"

He nodded, handing a bag of chips and a few cans of soda out. "D-Do we really gotta drink all this soda?" Yu looked over towards Chie as she spoke, then shrugged. 

"They'll help, but if you don't want to it's fine." Chie nodded, and yelped as she opened up her first soda, fizz bubbling out of the can and over her hand before she put it to her mouth and drank. Yosuke managed to avoid making a mess over his hand, prepared for his first soda. 

Already accustomed to drinking copious amounts of soda, Yu downed one after the other, drinking three of them without issue. Chie had settled for two, and Yosuke had also stopped at his third. "Everyone good?" 

Teddie pouted, running up to Yu. "Sensei! How come I haven't gotten a soda?"

Yu opened his mouth to say something, but Yosuke tossed him one before he could say anything against it. He shrugged, and merely sat back to watch as the mascot navigator opened the can with his fingers, then popped the entire thing into his mouth. "That's, uh..." Yosuke stammered as he witnessed the absolute consumption of the soda, aluminium and all. "Teddie, I don't think that's how you're supposed to drink soda."

"What do you mean? It was great! It was all tangy, and metal, and crunchy, and now I'm all energized up!" Teddie jumped up to show off his energy, then bounded up the stairs. Deciding it was best not to say anything, Yu led the rest of the team up, knowing they'd be facing Yukiko soon.


	10. Konohana Sakuya

The first thing they saw was Yukiko's Shadow, stood at the top of a dais in front of a throne. Behind her, up against the back wall of the chamber, hung a large embroidered tapestry of a large bird, a heart forming the chest. Yukiko, in her kimono, knelt at the bottom of the dais. "Yukiko!" Chie shouted, planting one foot forwards to run towards her but stopping before she did so. Yu could understand her plight, but shook his head.

Yu tightened his grip on his bokken as he walked forwards, his feet hardly making a sound against the soft carpet of the floor. "Oh? Oooooh, what's this?" Yukiko's voice, distorted with the telltale reverb of a Shadow, echoed through the hall. "Three princes are here to see me!? My my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late?" He could hear Chie growling as the Shadow spoke, her expression a grimace of anger. "Awwwww... I wish I'd gotten a better look at you!" 

Her gaze landed on Chie, and her anger intensified. "My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? Pretty please?" 

Yu glanced back at Yosuke and Chie, only to see a look of surprise on her face. "Three princes? Wait, does that include me, too...?" 

Teddie practically bounced in place, hardly unable to contain himself. "Nuh-uh! The third one's gotta be me!"

"I seriously doubt that," Yosuke said under his breath, looking back at the bear. "I really shouldn't have given you that soda..."

Yukiko's voice came over them before they could do anything else. "Chie... ah-ha. Yes, she's my prince. She always leads the way... Chie's a strong prince... Or at least she was." 

"Was?" Yu didn't like how he had to let this go on. There was probably some way to start the fight now, but if Yukiko's Shadow didn't say everything that wasn't on her mind, Yukiko wouldn't accept it and it'd eventually just happen again. He frowned, and listened on.

"When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough! She can't take me away from here, she can't save me!" The Shadow shouted, prompting Yukiko to gather the strength she needed to stand up.

"S-Stop..." Her voice was hardly more than a hoarse whisper, but it was audible over the complete silence of the room.

"Historic inn?" her Shadow continued, "Manager training!? I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me!" They were getting close, now. "From how I live, to where I die!" The Shadow's face was brimming with anger now, and she was gesticulating with her hands. "I'm sick of it! I'm so sick of it all!" 

"That's not true..." Yukiko whimpered out as she turned towards her Shadow. 

"I just want to go somewhere far away... anywhere but here." Yukiko's Shadow turned to face away from the group, though its sudden sadness was betrayed by her posture. "Someone, please take me away... I can't leave here on my own. I'm completely useless..."

Yukiko shook her head weakly, her voice still choppy but louder. "Stop... Please, stop!" 

The exclamation caught her Shadow's attention, who turned to face her. "I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave. So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come!" She was shouting again, and glared down towards herself from the top of the dais. "I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn!"

"Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of bullshit!" She lashed out with her arm, as if wiping away the thoughts in front of her. 

Yukiko was taken aback by the outburst, unable to speak. "That's how I really feel. Isn't that right... me!?" 

Yukiko's raven black hair swayed from side to side as she shook her head. "N-No!"

"Wait, don't say it!" Yosuke tried to stop her, but his words didn't seem to reach her. 

"No! You're not me!" Her voice was a shrill scream now, her denial echoing off the walls. The Shadow burst into a fit of laughter in response, her arms clutched together in front of her chest. 

"Aaaah! This feels wonderful!" Formless black shapes rose out of the ground and out of the walls, flying towards the Shadow. "It's building... more and more... If this keeps up, I'll-" Her voice was cut off by another bout of laughing, until she suddenly disappeared. In a flash, a large brass chandelier and cage sunk out of the ceiling, opening up to reveal the Phoenix that comprised the true form of Yukiko's Shadow. 

The bird stepped out from the cage and spread its wings, the large white heart shape on its breast reminiscent of the tapestry. Yukiko cried out in pain, collapsing back down to the ground as it appeared in front of her. "Yukiko!" Chie shouted, looking her way.

"That girl is in danger. We have to stop it!" Teddie's statement came as a surprise to no one, and Yu brought his weapon up to his chest. 

Yu didn't stop to listen to Chie's mutterings, and instead ran forwards to prepare for the fight. "I am a shadow... the true self." The Shadow's voice was less distorted now, but the anthropomorphic head of the bird had its own oddities in tone and quality. "Now, my Prince... Why don't we dance and make merry together?" 

The room became engulfed by a flurry of large pink feathers, not heavy or forceful enough to hurt, but enough to distract and obstruct Yu's view of the walls and exit. "Hang in there, Yukiko! I'm here for you!" 

The Shadow's eyes, creamy white dots on a black sclera, snapped to Chie. "Oh really? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!"

Yu was the first to act, sending Izanagi forwards and slicing at the chandelier. The metal was tougher than it looked, however, and his attack merely bounced off of the metal. "What, are you trying to make me mad?" The Shadow chided, breathing a burst of fire towards him. Izanagi pulled back before it could hit him, but even then it was too close for comfort. Chie attacked shortly after he was out of the way, conjuring a ball of hail and ice and launching it at the bird. 

Her Bufu struck the bird, pulling its attention away from Jiraiya as he shot forwards, delivering a punch right into the open cage door. The momentum carried the door into Yukiko's Shadow, causing it to flinch. Yosuke was repaid in a ball of fire being thrown his way, which he managed to dodge with a quick leap to the left. Using his glaive as a focus for Zio, Izanagi pointed the tip of the blade towards the Shadow. Electricity crackled and shot forwards in a flash, leaving the monster...

...Completely unfazed. "It's ineffective!" Teddie shouted behind him, and Yu frowned. He'd just have to beat the crap out of her, then. Yu watched as the phoenix flew out of her cage, landing on top of Chie and pinning her to the ground. "Chie-chan!"

Both Teddie and the martial artist screamed out, Yu and Yosuke both rushing forwards to protect her. Yukiko's sharp talons tore away at her chest, ripping into her jacket but thankfully not penetrating the chain vest she wore beneath. Izanagi managed a glancing blow to her wing as she flew away, cackling. "Satonaka, are you alright?" Yosuke asked, pulling her up to her feet and soothing her with a healing spell. 

She was rattled and hurt, but not seriously wounded. Thank god for that armour, Yu thought, before he continued forwards for an attack with his Persona. Izanagi leapt towards the bird, swinging and slashing. Only a couple hits landed, and he retreated after he was swatted away by one of Yukiko's wings. "Jiraiya!" Yosuke shouted, and a crescent of light green energy crashed into the Shadow's breast. 

She flew out of her cage again, and Yu was already running by the time she dived towards Yosuke. He dashed forwards with Izanagi, stabbing the end of his glaive into her body. "Get off of him!" He shouted, driving her away before she could tear into Yosuke as he lay on the floor. "You okay?"

Yosuke took his hand, accepting the help up. "Thanks, partner." He'd just started to prepare another Garu when her shrill screech rang through their ears, and fire engulfed all of them. The flames were only there for a few seconds, but the heat stuck to his body, leaving him uncoordinated and in pain. Chie was hit especially bad by it, knocked off her feet by the strength of it. 

Yu felt the power of a Dia course through his body, shortly before Shadow Yukiko dove towards him. He jumped back and summoned Izanagi, allowing her talons to tear into his inner self. He grimaced from the pain of her talons raking across his chest and arms, but it beat having them actually tearing wounds into his body.

He pulled out a medicine pack and popped the small painkiller it came with into his mouth, then started to wrap the few wounds he had with the bandage. Things were going okay, and if they could just keep up the pace they'd be fine. Yu sent Izanagi forwards, and was in the middle of another attack run at Yukiko when he felt his body warm up considerably. "Chie, brace yourself!" At his warning, she pulled herself into a defensive position just moments before fire engulfed them all.

The phoenix laughed again, chuckling at their might. "We're not done yet. Show me this strength of yours! Come, my Prince..." From behind one of the pillars in the room a small, stout doll man walked out. Yu could still remember how angry they'd gotten when the Prince used Diarama on the Shadow, and immediately blasted it with a bolt of Zio. Yukiko stared at him, mouth agape, and he took the opportunity to fire another bolt of lightning off. 

Chie and Yosuke maintained their offensive on the Shadow, in the meantime, stabbing, punch, freezing, and blasting it with all they could. With the Prince downed, Izanagi was free to run up towards it and repeatedly jam his blade into its neck. "My Prince!" Yukiko shouted, "my dear Prince!" Yu severed its head from its body with a final cleave, then backed off before she could retaliate. The Shadow called out to its minion, but received no aid or response. "Why... Why won't he come?"

Suddenly she screeched, one of her wings folding up to shield her face from any more attacks as Chie landed a well placed Bufu. Yu flashed her a look and smile of encouragement, then redoubled his efforts whilst she was still distracted. More healing from Yosuke coursed through his body, providing some much-needed support for the final act of the fight.

The flames of the chandelier's candles had diminished now, with some of them even completely extinguished. Her wings were tattered and stained with streaks of black ooze, the blood of shadows. The black hair that mimicked Yukiko's was now ruffled, frayed, and disorderly, and even cut in some places. After a nasty hit from one of Yosuke's attacks, she glared at the three of them and growled. "Looks like I had the wrong idea... You're no princes! Die, you worthless commoners!" 

Once more, fire whipped up all around them. Yu glanced over towards Chie as the heat nipped at his arms and legs, and saw that she managed to put her guard up in time. Yu summoned Izanagi, and was pushed backwards and off his feet by the force of it. "Partner!" He heard, shortly before another healing spell flushed his burns and wounds out. It was weaker this time, though. 

Yu gripped onto Yosuke's arm as he stood up, the pair meeting each other's eyes. Yosuke was tired, his spirit drained and exhausted from the fight. "Take it easy," Yu said, then pulled away. He willed Izanagi forwards, and watched as his Persona spun its glaive around in a circular motion, then pointed the blade towards Yukiko's Shadow and blasted its cage apart. Yu watched on, unsure of what happened as what he could only describe as a small pocket of light appeared behind the Shadow, inside the cage, before exploding. 

The phoenix screamed as its ruined enclosure fell to the floor, collapsing in a heap of ruined and scorched metal. His skin tingled as Izanagi returned to the confines of his soul, leaving him unsure of what had happened. What he was sure of, though, was that they had won. "Yukiko!" 

Chie was the first to say anything once their victory had settled over them, and the three quickly followed after her as she ran towards her childhood friend. "Yukiko, are you hurt?"

"No," she said, looking over towards her Shadow, now in its human form, with a look of hate, contempt, and grief. "I'm not-"

"We understand," Yu said, before she got any ideas about denying herself again. "You're not the only one like that, Amagi." Yukiko looked at him, her eyes tired, confused, and hurt. "In all of us, there's something that we don't want to admit. To others, and to ourselves."

Chie walked up and clasped Yukiko's hand in hers. "Yukiko... I'm sorry. I was so self-centred that... I never took the time to understand what you were going through." Yu saw the tears beginning to well up in her eyes, and she sniffled. "I'm your friend, and I still-" Chie paused to breath, "I'm so sorry..."

"Chie..." Yukiko breathed out, and Yu realised it might be best to busy himself with something else. Maybe Yosuke needed bandaging... 

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't, and it was like a wall, I was so lonely...!" Her voice welled up with emotions, threatening to choke up with tears. "I wanted you to need me, but it was me who... needed you." Yu pulled out one of the packs of medicine he had, then pulled Yosuke aside for a quick second.

"You hurt?" Yu whispered, to which Yosuke nodded. There was a flaw in his plan, though; he doubted that Yosuke would take his clothes off right now to let him dress his wounds, and he realised he didn't want to force him in front of the others. He handed him the medicine, and kept an eye on Yukiko's shadow as he listened.

"If you weren't by my side, I... I wouldn't know what to do..." Chie's hands went up to her face, drying her eyes with the sleeves of her torn and singed jacket. 

A tear rolled down Yukiko's face, followed by more. "Chie... I never saw the real you either. I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." Yukiko's admission reminded her of her Shadow, and she walked over to confront herself. "'I want to run away'... 'I want someone to save me'... Those feelings are all a part of me. I understand now. You're me." Her royal self nodded, then disappeared in a flash of blue light. Floating in front of her was her Persona, Konohana Sakuya, in all its regal, floral beauty. 

Yukiko collapsed again, and they rushed over towards her once more. "Are you okay?" Yosuke asked, still holding the medicine in his hand.

She nodded, the movement weak but still noticeable. "Yes, I'm just a little tired." Yukiko paused for a moment in thought, looking at the four of them. "You all came to rescue me?"

"Of course!" Chie exclaimed, and helped her onto her feet. Yukiko leaned into Chie, bracing herself with an arm around her best friend's neck.

"Thank you," she muttered, looking to all of them. 

Teddie, unfortunately, was the first to speak. "So, who threw you in?" Yukiko looked at him and blinked twice, as if testing her vision for deceit.

"Who- No... What are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?" Yukiko's expression turned downcast after a few seconds, and she looked away. 

"I don't know," she said with a light shrug. "I think someone called my name, and then... I don't know. I'm sorry, um... Teddie." Teddie's eyes slanted upwards in a sad frown at the lack of any clues to go off of. 

Yu felt like he wanted to throw up, but he quickly did his best to stomach those feelings and push them away. "Now, hang on. If someone called her name, then that means they didn't try to throw her in using, I don't know... stealth, you could call it?" Yu and Teddie nodded in response to Yosuke's statement everyone else mulled over the information.

"We can talk about that later, let's just get home first. Yukiko looks exhausted..." Chie said, a look of concern and worry washing over her face. "Thanks again, Teddie!" It was nice to hear such a heartfelt exclamation come from her, Yu thought, reaching into his thankfully mostly untouched bag.

The four of them gathered around Yu as he pulled out a Goho-M and invoked its power. A white light surrounded them, and suddenly they were at the castle's entrance. "What just..." Yukiko tried to say something, but was too weak to continue. Chie calmed her as they continued, her presence doing wonders for Yukiko's condition as they slowly walked to the backlot. 

Yu's legs had begun to hurt again once they'd gotten out, and the fact that he had to haul Teddie half of the way back hadn't helped. The bear had passed out when his sugar rush finally came to an end. He set him down on the ground carefully, then motioned towards the TVs. "Satonaka, go ahead and get Amagi out of here." She nodded, and proceeded to guide her sick and exhausted friend through the TV set. 

Yu watched as they left, then turned back to Yosuke. "Are you still hurt?" He asked, to which Yosuke nodded and faintly smiled.

"Don't worry about me, partner, I can take some hits." Yu shook his head and took the medicine he'd been carrying from him. 

"Sit, I'll dress your wounds."

His command seemed to shock Yosuke, who started to stammer in response. "N-Now hold on a second, I can do it myself-"

"But it won't be as nicely done, and you might miss something." Yu took his own shirt off to examine it, leaving him only in his white undershirt. His uniform was battered, ripped, and more than a little singed, as was Yosuke's.

"I'm serious, I can-"

Yu looked Yosuke in the eyes, silencing him and bringing him to finally acquiescing to his commands. Yosuke took off his headphones and jacket, then after some deliberation, carefully removed his shirt. Yu popped open the first aid kit and pulled out a small vial of burn ointment, pouring it onto his fingers before rubbing it into his partner's back. "Man, that's cold..." He could hear Yosuke wincing slightly as he covered each burn and wound with the relevant salve. 

There was a cut on his arm, and Yu gently padded away the blood before wrapping gauze and bandages over it. "Hey, partner?" 

"Yes?"

Yosuke turned to face him as best he could, without moving his chest and disrupting his wounds. "How come Satonaka and I break those weird card things when we summon our Personas, but you don't?" Yu's movements slowly came to a halt, his thoughts taking precedent over nursing. He hadn't even realised that he wasn't breaking a tarot card whenever he summoned Izanagi, just that he did whatever he needed to in order to do so. 

Moreover, he vividly remembered breaking them last time, especially the first time that he summoned Izanagi. Why was it different now? "Partner?" Yu shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

Even then, he had no answer. "I... don't know." All it took was to think about summoning his Persona, and Izanagi appeared behind him. "Huh."

Yosuke laughed slightly, bringing his arms up to his chest. "Maybe it means there's something special about you?" He seemed to draw solace in the fact, and Yu nodded. "I got you with that last spell of mine, right? You didn't get hurt after that, did you?"

Yu shook his head, glancing at the Yasogami jacket he dropped to the floor earlier. "No, I don't think so... wanna check?" Yu smirked when he saw Yosuke nod, and he took off his shirt before kneeling down to let Yosuke check for any burns he missed earlier.

\---

Chie and Yukiko were nowhere to be seen when they left, so Yu went around Junes to shop on his own. His uniform was draped over his bag, likely burnt beyond repair if he wanted to get away with wearing it at school any more. It wouldn't hurt to pick up a new one, or even something he could wear instead...

Half of the money he made in the TV ended up spent on clothes for the team, and he walked home with a large bag of clothes in his hand. Yu smiled as he sent a text to everyone, simply stating 'Present for you' and leaving it at that. But, more importantly, there was the other thing he'd bought at Junes. 

"Welcome back!" Nanako greeted him as he walked into the house, heading towards the living room table. She gasped and smiled as she saw the Junes label. "You went to Junes!?" 

Yu nodded and set the bag down on the table, crouching down to pull out her present, an illustrated children's book that he hoped she didn't have. Nanako gazed upon it as if she'd been given the secrets of life to use as she saw fit, beaming up at him. "Thank you!"

Her smile was infectious, and remained with him until he finished sorting through the contents of his bag, filling his dresser with the clothes he bought for himself. After a careful shower, he sat down at the table, only to hear the door slide open. "He's home!" Yu turned his head to watch Dojima and Adachi step into the room, the younger officer almost a foil to the grizzled detective next to him. 

"Hi there," Adachi said, smiling down at Nanako. Yu never got the opportunity to speak with Adachi last time; maybe he'd try and change that. 

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. I thought we might as well swing by." Nanako nodded as she listened to her father speak, whilst Yu stood up to grab a soda from the fridge.

He cracked it open over the sink, unsure if it would explode or not when he pulled the tab. It bubbled over, but stayed within the rim and kept his hands clean. Yu took a sip, then made his way back to the table. Adachi sighed, scratching his head. "It sure is a relief that the latest victim was found, huh? Amagi Yukiko, was it?" He turned to face Yu. "Do you know her?"

Yu nodded, taking a sip from his soda before speaking. "Yeah, I heard she got back home earlier today, didn't she?"

"Huh? Is this already yesterday's news, then?" He chuckled nervously, then continued. "Ah, but this doesn't mean the case is closed though." Adachi, as he was wont to do, continued on with spewing the case details that Yu already knew about until he was slapped on the back of the head by Dojima.

"Adachi! Stop blabbering, dumbass!" Dojima looked at Yu, trying his best to smile. "Ignore him. He's just spouting some wild fantasy."

Yu nodded, taking a drink from his soda and turning towards the TV, catching the news mid-broadcast. "-on the Inaba-bound train accident earlier this month. Officials have declared the cause to be stolen tracks, which resulted in the fatal derailing of the train. Police from Port Island have..." He focused his eyes on the can of soda in front of him as his thoughts wandered. Had that-

Dojima growled, interrupting him before he could think of anything. "Can't believe they really handed it to those Port Island rookies." He sighed, his gruff voice calming slightly from the almost overtly hostile tone into something more friendly. "Anyways, go wash your hands then siddown, Adachi." 

"Y-Yes, sir." Adachi hurried over towards the kitchen to do as he was told, and was shortly followed by Dojima.


	11. Lull

"Morning, Partner."

Yu looked over at Yosuke as he came up behind him and nodded in greeting. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, his chest... well, everything hurt, really. "How are you holding up?"

Yosuke laughed nervously. "Well, every part of my body is screaming at me to stop doing anything. Does that answer your question?" Yu nodded, knowing his plight all too well. A mother and son passed by as they walked, engaged in a fairly one-sided argument. "What was that about? Is that kid already at a rebellious age?"

Yu shrugged, unfamiliar with either of them. "Well, that murder must have parents around here pretty worried," said the brunet; after all, if it could happen to one person, why couldn't it happen to another? Their worry must have been compounded by Yukiko's kidnapping, too. "Oh... about the culprit. I was thinking about it some, and I don't understand it at all." Yu raised his eyebrow, wondering where Yosuke's detective intuition was taking him. "It seems like a lot of effort to dump someone into a TV... so how is he doing it?"

"Well," Yu started, "Yukiko must have been at the inn when she was kidnapped, considering she was in her kimono." Yosuke nodded, following along with Yu's reasoning. "Maybe someone drove up with a TV, called her outside, and then tossed her in there?" 

Yosuke seemed puzzled by this, and brought his hand up to his chin to think. "But, that'd be right outside the famous Amagi Inn, wouldn't it? How could no one see that happen?" 

He had a point, and he honestly didn't want to say more. It might mean fighting Namatame early, and not having... The thought that he was practically covering for Namatame now sickened him. Here they were, trying to solve the case, when Yu already knew the answer to all their problems. Yu wanted to scream, but knew he couldn't. Not in front of so many people. "True," he stated simply, and said nothing for the rest of the way to class.

The school day passed by without incident; today, Yu only had to poke, prod, or otherwise prevent Chie from sleeping a total of seven times. He couldn't deny his respect for her bold attempts to sleep in the middle of class, especially considering he felt just as exhausted. Small paper balls struck him just as many times, though Yosuke's sleep radar seemed to require more fine-tuning than Yu's. 

The bell rang, prompting everyone to turn in their seats to talk or grab their belongings and head out. "Hey, Narukami-kun. What was with that text you sent us last night?" He looked over towards Chie; she wasn't wearing her precious green jacket. Yu smiled and stood up, commanding the attention of Yosuke and Chie. 

"I went shopping. Can you two both come to my house right now?" 

"Sure," Yosuke said, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Are you free right now, Satonaka?" She nodded, and stood up as well, grabbing her backpack and heading towards the door. Yu made his way to the front of the group as they left the school grounds, glad that he could hide his grin. "So, Partner, what did you buy for us?"

"You'll see." He was relishing being coy with this. The fact that he only bought them clothes didn't invalidate his ability to have fun with it, did it? Yu grinned, uncaring what the answer was to it anyways. 

Chie groaned, unappreciative of his aloof answer. "Come oooon, can't you just tell us?" 

He chuckled, looking back at her with a smile. "Why would I, when I can keep it a secret?" Yu hastened his pace for a few steps, quickly dashing out of the way of one of Chie's patented abdominal kicks. "Easy, now. Wouldn't want me to have to go shopping again, would you?" She growled slightly, though he could tell that she was being more playful than anything. "Relax, we can have some croquettes after we get there."

The promise of food, especially from Souzai Daigaku seemed to placate her, and Yosuke to a lesser extent, too. "How is Amagi-san holding up, by the way? Have you spoken to her?" Yosuke's question reminded her of Yukiko's condition. He could still remember how the fog had done a number on him and Chie, and they'd only been in for maybe an hour or so. Being in for days on end...

"Yukiko said she was feeling better, but that she still felt pretty sick." Chie pulled out her phone, reviewing the text she'd gotten from her friend. "Oh, and that she doesn't remember anything still." Yu quietly sighed, focusing on one of the lamp posts they were due to pass by.

"Damn..." Yosuke seemed disheartened by the fact, and Yu couldn't blame him. He remembered feeling pretty lost after they rescued her last time, too. 

"Well, uh- Maybe she'll remember something when she feels better?" Chie tried to cheer her friend up, but to little avail. 

Yu turned around, walking backwards as he faced the two. "Hate to break it to you, but the longer it's been the more people forget, usually." She pouted, glaring at him for his obvious statement. Yosuke seemed to agree, however, and nodded his head. "If she doesn't remember anything now, then I doubt she'll remember anything later. Anyways, let's talk about something else."

They were on Samegawa now, and the light morning mist had long since cleared out. It was equal parts pleasant and worrying; whilst he could appreciate the coolness and moistness of the mist as he walked through it, it all too much reminded him of the fog. "Are you really not going to tell us what you bought us until we get there?" Chie asked after a while, sounding almost tormented.

"Mhm," he affirmed with a nod, "a hundred per cent sure."

"So, we just gotta get there fast then, don't we?" She ran forwards, tearing down the pavement of the road for about four seconds before slowing down and stopping. "Oh, man- nope, bad idea." 

Yosuke chuckled at the sight of his friend forgetting all about her condition, then sluggishly moved out of the way of a slow punch. "Whoa, whoa! Let's save it for when we're in the TV and I can heal the results of any friendly bout, 'kay Satonaka?" She smiled, cracking her knuckles menacingly despite her prowess with her legs. The effect was not lost.

They walked for a while longer, enjoying the others' company before making the turn off of the flood plains. "Hey, Narukami?" It was Chie again. "Do you dye your hair?"

He turned back to face her, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm not nearly old enough to have all grey hair, you know." She and Yosuke chuckled slightly at his response. 

"Guess that means we all dye our hair then, huh?" Yosuke pointed the fact out, and they nodded as they realised it. "But, why grey?"

Yu shrugged, adjusting the position of his satchel slightly. "Can't worry about getting grey hairs if it's always grey, can you?" He'd started doing it shortly after high school started, but that was two years ago now; he could hardly remember why he started it.

"Well," Yosuke said, "if you need any help, Satonaka and I could probably help out." He chuckled as he pointed towards himself with his thumb, as if proud that he knew where he could buy hair dyes and treatments. 

"I'll ask," he said in response, and continued to lead them down the street. They passed through the more urban part of Inaba, the houses and buildings becoming more cramped and pushed together, the lines between properties becoming blurred. Yu started to gently rock his satchel back and forth, if only to keep his thoughts focused on something. "Say, Hanamura. What music do you listen to when we're fighting? I've seen you wearing headphones in the TV before, and I'm curious."

The boy stammered for a moment, caught off guard by the question. "O-Oh, uhh... Western music, mostly, and music from movies as well. Why do you ask?" 

Yu shrugged, looking back at Yosuke over his shoulder. "I'm thinking of buying a music player myself, so I just wanted to know what you were into." 

Yosuke hastened his feet to walk by Yu's side. "Oh, yeah? If you want help picking one out, I'd be happy to help." He sounded almost glad at being able to lend his assistance, and Yu nodded. "I-If you want me to, that is." 

"Of course." They passed down a street adjacent to the shopping district, a detour they took if only to keep Chie from being tormented by Souzai Daigaku, or perhaps forcing them to go there early. He turned to look back at her, then realised she'd also taken a place beside him. Her hands fidgeted around the edges of her bag, unable to leave one resting in the pocket of her jacket like she normally would have. Well, he'd fix that soon enough. 

The three of them stood in front of his house, standing at the sidewalk as he made his way forwards and unlocked the door. "I'll be back in a minute." The door swung open as he stepped inside, then shut behind him as he entered. 

"Welcome back!" Nanako exclaimed, bringing a smile to both of their faces. Yu's was laced with a bittersweetness, knowing he'd be leaving immediately after, but...

"Hey, Nanako? Want to come hang out with me and my friends?" She looked up at him for a moment, as if wondering whether he spoke the truth.

"Can I?" Yu nodded, and she struggled to hold back a smile. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," he said, eliciting a cheer and a grin that stretched from one side of her face to the other. "Give me a minute, and I'll be right back down."

Yu made his way upstairs, setting his backpack next to his desk before grabbing the Junes bag and heading back downstairs. Nanako had put her shoes on, and was waiting by the door. "Where are we going?"

He flexed his arm, glad to no longer be carrying his school bag. "We're going to Souzai Daigaku, I believe. We'll get food." She smiled and reached up to open the door. Yu followed her out, waving at his friends who waited just outside.

"So, what did you get us?" She was excited, almost dying to know at this point. He could tell that she was uncomfortable for most of the way here, always having to fidget around with her hands or readjust her shirt, so Yu pulled out her clothes first. He tossed her a brand new jacket, the same size and style as her previous one. By the time he fished out her other outfit, Chie had already thrown it on, zipped it up, and got to work pinning her buttons onto its front. "Oh, this is so comfy, I feel whole again! Thanks, Narukami-kun!" 

The other outfit was met with a fair amount more confusion. "I bought stuff for us to wear, so our uniforms and clothes don't get trashed again." Chie nodded, then got to work finding a place for the clothes to fit in her pack. Yu handed another uniform and a similar scapegoat outfit to Yosuke, who accept them gratefully. "Some clothes for you too, partner."

"Thanks," Yosuke said, examining the outfit he had been given. His own and Yukiko's were still inside, so he opened the door and placed the bag just inside before shutting it again.

"Anyways, food?" The reminder that they'd planned on going to Souzai Daigaku sparked a renewed vigour in the two of them, and they were soon bound for the shopping district. Nanako introduced herself, as politely as needed for such a relaxed outing, prompting the other two to do so as well. He listened to the group's small talk, Chie and Yosuke making sure not to leave Nanako out of the conversation and trying to steer away from talking about the TV. 

"Narukami, do you think that Yukiko will want to help us?" Chie asked, doing her best to talk about the case without talking about it. 

"Probably," he said whilst shrugging. Yukiko would more than likely join, but if for some reason she didn't, he didn't want to stand there with eggs all on his face. 

"Help you with what?" Nanako said, looking up at Yu and Chie. 

Without missing a beat, Yu spoke. "We're making plans to help each other out with school work for the rest of the year." His words flew without issue, without error. And, once he'd said them, he realised that it wouldn't be all that bad an idea. Considering he knew all the questions, or at the very least most of the curveball questions, he could easily help Chie and Yosuke's grades. "You'll join us too Hanamura, right?"

Yosuke looked over at him, somewhat surprised at the response, and moreso at the question. "Y-Yeah, of course." They were at the shopping district now, and Yu led them down the street towards the food shop. The district was fairly empty, with no more than half a dozen people walking around. Yosuke tried his best to hide his discomfort, but Yu recognised the particular expression when he glanced back at him. 

There wasn't much he could do about that now, though. Yu stepped up to the counter, first to order. "I'll have a plate of steak croquettes, please?" The lady nodded, and he stepped aside to buy a drink as the others ordered food. "What do you want, Nanako?"

Nanako looked at the shelves of food on display, her face pinched together in her thinking pout. "Steak skewers!" She exclaimed suddenly, and he pulled the money out of his wallet to pay for her food. Now that he had a bottle of water, he sat down on the wood and plastic bench and waited for their order to be made. Nanako sat down next to him, leaving Chie and Yosuke to sit together on the other side. 

Chie was almost restless as she waited for her croquettes and steak skewers to be served up, the smell of cooking meat and food tantalising, yet at the same time agonising. Yu felt his stomach growl, and realised he too was eager for the food to come. "Have you tried the food here yet, Narukami?" Chie's acute senses had picked up the sounds of his gut, and she opened a conversation with it. 

"Yeah," he said with a nod, "it's all pretty good. The croquettes are warm, tender, juicy..." Yu trailed off, stopping himself before the damage to Chie's hunger became too great. She nodded enthusiastically, beaming at his equal love of food with a warm smile. 

"Jeez," Yosuke whined as he looked between the two of them, "what kind of teeth do you two have? They're always as hard as a rock!" Yu and Nanako chuckled amongst themselves as Chie began the process of berating Yosuke for not knowing how to properly appreciate the steak croquettes.

She became so energised that had she been on the other side of the table, Yu was sure she would have stood up to lean towards Yosuke's face. "You've got to break off a small piece, then crunch down on it with your molars!" she exclaimed, trying her best to keep her voice at less than a shout. "Then, you can chew to your heart's content." Chie damn near swooned at the thought of the croquette in her mouth, a look of happiness and contentedness on her face. 

"Food's ready!" The lady at the shop said, and Yu watched as Yosuke and Chie stood up to carry everyone's order over. Nanako and Yosuke both got orders of steak skewers, whilst he and Chie bought a dish of croquettes. Yu picked one up, then pointed it towards Yosuke. 

"Wanna try it?"

Yosuke looked up from his skewer and at the large patty of breaded and fried steak and potato, which Yu so carelessly and casually held in his hand. He blushed slightly and shook his head, earning a few chuckles from Chie. "No thanks..." Yu shrugged and brought it back to his mouth, taking a bite off of it and doing as Chie said. He was surprised to see that indeed, it was much better, the flavour of the meat just as strong with less work trying to break through the hard exterior. The rest of the breaded exterior fell apart in his mouth, the panko, flour, and egg coating becoming a pleasant crunch in his mouth. 

Nanako held her skewer in two hands, peacefully chewing on each cube of meat on the slim metal rod. Chie, experienced with eating the shop's croquettes, was already halfway through one by the time Yu had taken his third bite. Yosuke was enjoying his food, visibly glad that he didn't have to put his mouth and teeth to work in order to actually eat his steak. 

"Do you want something to drink, Nanako?" Yu asked, looking to his right. She nodded, and he stood up to shuffle over to the vending machine. "What about you two?"

He ordered three bottles of water, for it seemed that everyone was thirsty, and placed them on the table before shuffling back over to his seat. "Hey, are you fine with spending all this money on us?" Chie motioned towards her new jacket, complete with all her old pins, as she cracked open the bottle of water.

Yu nodded, opening his own bottle up and taking a sip. "Of course. The money I have is no more mine than it is yours, so I don't have much of a problem with spending it on you guys." Chie's brow raised for a second.

"Ours?" she asked, evidently unsure of what he meant. Yu pulled out a small block of copper, one of the many items the shadows dropped in the TV, and placed it on the table.

"I make money selling these at Shiroku, Daidara, and even the recycling place at Junes. The effort to get these isn't mine alone, it's yours and Hanamura's, too." He pulled the small block back and placed it in his back pocket. "As such, I don't have much of an issue with it."

She seemed satisfied with that answer, although Yosuke was now looking at him. "So, hold on, partner. How much money did you make from our last trip in?" 

He thought for a moment, trying to remember the total he'd came out with after they rescued Yukiko the other day. "Twenty two thousand yen?" Yosuke and Chie's eyes shot wide open, taken aback at how much he made. Even Nanako was looking at him, and the sudden attention made his cheeks flush slightly.

"Dude! Just from a single day!?" Yosuke exclaimed, and Yu shied away slightly. A part of him felt guilty about it, now.

"Well, I don't always make that much. Half of it was from Amagi." Their astonishment died down once they realised the source of his income was so big because of their rescue, and Yu returned to eating his croquettes. "So, Nanako... When do you want to go to Junes?" 

Her face lit up with a soul-warming smile at the thought of going to Junes, though it abated slightly as she thought for a moment. "Today?!" she said excitedly, and after realising he had zero chance of saying no, Yu nodded. "Yay!" 

"What about it? Do you two want to come as well?" Chie and Yosuke nodded, the pair of them smiling.

"She must really like going to places with you, eh, Big bro?" Yu nodded and smiled at Chie's teasing. 

"Big... bro..." Nanako said the words to herself, as if testing them in her mind. "Big bro!" 

Yu cleaned his hand with a napkin, then reached over and patted her on the shoulder, the pair of them smiling at each other. "Though, there's got to be a better place than Junes to go to, right?"

Nanako shook her head, looking over at Chie. "Nuh-uh. I love Junes!" The exclamation almost moved Yosuke to tears, her admiration for his father's business almost infectious. 

"You know, Nanako-chan, you'd make a pretty good poster child for Junes." Yu nodded in response to Chie's suggestion whilst Nanako beamed at her.

"You really think so?!" she enquired, almost elated at the news. Yu couldn't help but smile and sigh, a feeling of contentedness washing over him as he basked in the warmth of his friends and family. He would give the world if it meant living his life like this. No matter what.


	12. Full

The following days slipt past him, with Yosuke busying himself with extra hours at work and Chie bogged down with whatever it was she was wont to do. He assumed at first that she was training, but a stroll through Samegawa told him otherwise. Past that one time, he didn't look again. Job offers were posted that Saturday, though, so he put in an application for a job translating and worked the time away with that. The task had a special appeal to him, taking what was already written and figuring out ways to say it differently. 

He supposed, really, that life was simply taking what had been said and saying it differently, ad infinitum. Igor had said something like that, he recalled, or perhaps it was Margaret or some other philosopher sage he heard on the TV. Regardless of who said it, Yu thought of it as he translated the English pages and scripts. This time, he noted, the work went by with much more ease, considering his vague familiarity with the text and his deeper understanding of the English language, despite its complexity. 

Yu spent the weekend texting with Chie and translating, though he had to admit that the lingo she texted in sometimes gave him headaches. It was fast, quick, and short, just like her. He chuckled at the revelation, but kept it to himself. Suddenly it was Monday, and he put the money he'd made from translating into buying sodas, medicine, and a few other items that were useful in the TV. 

Shiroku sure was handy; he doubted there would be a store like it in a big city, that not only sold items that were tangibly useful, but items like Goho-Ms and dreamcatchers that only had use for the spiritual and superstitious. Even now he wasn't quite sure he'd count himself amongst that crowd, but he couldn't deny how handy they were in the TV. Even though he wasn't sure it'd ever come in handy, Yu bought a dreamcatcher and put it in his bag. 

A digital chime signalled a text from Chie on his way home, an update on Yukiko's condition. "Yukiko's good, but will b busy at the inn for 2morrow." 

"Okay." His response was short, simple, and punctuated, and with no response back he shut his phone and placed it in his pocket. 

"Welcome back, big bro!" For the third time his heart melted, and he knew it would melt many times again. Yu saw no issue with that, quickly shoving any other thoughts into the corner of his mind before they soured his mood. "I bought some food at Junes today, so there's food in the fridge." He swallowed back the taste of ham as he set his bags on the table, then opened up the fridge to look inside. Pork loins, onion, garlic, ginger... 

Yu pulled out the ingredients necessary for ginger pork, systematically laying them out on the counter in the kitchen. His hands instinctively reached for his apron, only to realise he hadn't bought one yet. The plastic hook he hung it on wasn't even there, either. He bit his lip as he started to grate the vegetables into a small bowl, pouring in the soy sauce, mirin, and sake once everything was finely prepared.

With the pork thinly sliced, he rubbed each side with oil and ground salt and pepper over them, seasoning the flat of each cut of meat. The rest of the oil went into a frying pan, which he allowed to heat up on the stove as he sliced scallions to cook with the meat. The sound and smell of cooked meat filled the kitchen as he placed the pork into the pan, waiting patiently for the meat to cook. 

He absent-mindedly stirred the seasoning in its bowl for just a minute, before flipping the pork over to cook the other side. Another minute, and he poured the seasoning and scallions into the pan to tie the meal together. The smell of ginger pork-filled his senses, the aroma inducing hunger in him. A part of him wanted to eat it now, but he knew he'd regret it tomorrow at lunch. He left the prepared lunch to rest in the fridge, then headed upstairs to sleep. 

The next morning was routine, unique only in heating the ginger pork and packaging it in a lunch box. "Yo, Narukami!" Yosuke shouted, running up from behind. "Did you hear about Amagi-san?" Yu nodded, pulling out his phone and reading out the text Chie had sent him. "More than what she sent me," Yosuke grumbled, and he chuckled as they walked forwards. 

"Want a soda?" Yu asked, pulling out one of the Dr. Salt NEOs in his bag and handing it off to him. "Still pulling extra hours at Junes?"

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "I've got all the money I need for a while, so no more overtime for me." Yosuke cracked open the soda and took a sip from it, slowing down slightly to keep it from spilling onto his hand. "What about you? Got a job yet, or are you still cruising on all that TV money?"

Yu pulled out one of the receipts he'd gotten from translating, showing it to Yosuke. "Translating's pretty good money, you know."

"Good at English, huh? Maybe you could help me out sometime?" Yu smiled, the nodded. "Speaking of... Are we really gonna do that study group thing you talked about the other day?" 

"I don't see a reason not to." His opinion had not yet changed on the matter; even if it meant more work, he'd gladly put in the extra effort to help his friends. Yosuke nodded, assured by his answer. "If we get Amagi, we'll be even better."

Yosuke laughed, nodding. "True that. I don't think I've seen her place anywhere less than the top ten. How well do you usually do on tests?"

Yu thought for a moment, wondering that question himself. The last test he'd taken would have been the Advancement Exam, and he hadn't even looked at the score he got for that. "I do okay," he said with a shrug. They were at the school gates now, and their conversation continued into the classroom. Chie was sat in her seat, looking considerably more chipper and upbeat. She waved at Yosuke and him as they passed by, but didn't have the opportunity to say anything before Morooka walked into the room. 

Notes were passed, this time between all three of them. It helped pass the time, and prevented Yu from dying of boredom as he sat through lectures he had already attended once before. Class came to a halt as the bell rang, indicating it was time for lunch. He pulled out the paper bag that held the boxed lunch he'd made the night before, then leaned over towards Chie. "Hey, you want to eat together?" She smiled, nodded, then led him up to the rooftop. 

It was a pleasantly vacant area, with only a handful of others present. He pulled out the box and set it between them, laying a pair of chopsticks on the lid. "I made two servings, so go ahead and help yourself to it." She pulled off the lid and gazed at the box's contents, amazed and entranced by the pork. In an instant she was eating, her face betraying her complete enjoyment of the meal. 

"Oh my god, it's delicious!" Her words came between bites, food just barely swallowed before she spoke. "I've never eaten anything that tasted so good!" More she ate, and Yu hastily pulled out a pair of his own chopsticks before she became too consumed by her hunger to leave him anything. 

He stuck a piece of pork in his mouth and chewed, savouring the flavour. "I'm glad you like it," he said, before continuing to eat. 

Chie whined as she watched him pick out a cut of meat and rice together, her own chopsticks pinching together at the tip. "I want more, but I don't want to eat it all... what a dilemma!" Yu chuckled at the conundrum she presented, and patted her on the back of her shoulder. 

"Go ahead and eat all you want." With an almost devious smile, she hastily began eating. Her enthusiasm for food and the consumption thereof was inspiring, and Yu quickly realized he should eat a bit more before it was all gone. "Yeah, this came out really good." The meat was perfectly cooked, the flavours came together well, and it was almost hard to tell it was reheated. 

She looked up at him, taking a break from eating for just a second. "Wait, did you make this yourself?" Yu laughed, then nodded. Somehow, she'd only just registered that in her mind. "It's amazing! I didn't know you were such a good cook, Narukami." He smiled at her praise, blushing ever so slightly. The fact that he had heard similar things before, from the same people no less, had little bearing on his emotions. When he first arrived in Inaba, he was awkward. Unemotive. It took him a while before he really started to care about anything, but now that he cared from the start he had a newfound appreciation for what Yosuke and Chie said. 

"Th-Thank you," Chie said, and it was all he caught of her sentence. She was blushing slightly too now, and he quickly nodded in response to whatever it was she'd said. The food was gone now, evidently having perished during his thoughts. The bell rang again, interrupting the pair of them. "Oh, shoot! We gotta get to class!" He quickly started to pack everything together, and hurried into class behind Chie. Mr. Morooka stepped inside the second he sat down, leaving Yu to simply sigh in relief.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time school ended, leaving everyone to slowly filter out through the doorways to head wherever they were going. "Hey, Narukami-kun. Are you busy?" Chie's voice cut through the crowd, and he found himself right next to the short martial artist. He shook his head. "Then come with me!" 

Cutting through the crowded hallways without overpowering people wasn't easy, but Yu did his best to slither his way through as he followed Chie out of the school. She was back to her eager and energetic self, practically jogging down the street as he tried to keep up with her. "Where are we going?" he asked, but received only a smile in return.

"Why should I tell you after what you did to us?" Yu sighed, shaking his head slightly as he hastened his pace. He knew where they were probably going, but it would have been nice to know anyways. They passed through Inaba for a short while, before eventually coming upon the flood plains. "Yeah, this looks like a good spot." They were stood in front of the bench at the small clearing along the road, where a tree shaded them from what little sun there was. 

"What are we gonna do? Train?" 

"Yeah!" Chie exclaimed as she turned to face him, smiling. "I need to hone my kicking skills, or else I won't be able to use them in the TV World." Yu could definitely admire her devotion to fighting, both inside and outside of the TV. 

"Don't get me wrong, Samegawa's a nice place; but isn't there some other place to practice?" He hardly remembered why they always practised here, just that they always did. Chie's embarrassed smirk told him thousands.

"Well," she started, stopping herself for a few seconds. "I tried practising at home... but mom and dad yelled at me for putting a hole in the shoji." 

Ah, now he remembered. "Yeah, that would do it. Nothing to break out here, eh?" Chie pouted at him for a couple of seconds, before her expression withered away into a smile. "Well, let's get to it." 

"You wanna train too?" She asked, almost giddy and excited to hear his answer. Yu nodded again in affirmation, eliciting a wide smile from the girl. "Great!" The happiness and elation in her expression slowly died down, turning into something more sombre and reflective. 

"Something up?"

She nodded, her chin dipping down no more than an inch. "Yeah... The Shadow that came out of me, in that room with the posters? I guess I feel... pathetic, knowing that's another 'me.'" 

Yu shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't say it's 'another' you, just a part of you. One that was exaggerated in an attempt to make you recognise it." Chie slowly nodded her head, piecing his words together in her mind. "Does that help?"

Chie nodded again, her smile returned. "Yeah. Hearing that makes me feel like I gotta work hard, so that it can never show it's ugly face again!" She took in a deep breath, as if readying herself for a fight. Part of Yu briefly wondered if she was, and instinctively backed up slightly. "Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!" 

The warmth of his link with her strengthened, filling his chest with a wholesome feeling that left him wanting, almost aching for more. Yu quieted that need down in seconds, then nodded. "Yeah. What's first up for the training?"

"Frog leaps! Come on, let's see you try one!" His body felt sore already, though he knew it was but a reminder of what would come. He slowly crouched down, placing his arms and legs in position before leaping forwards. "Yeah, that's it!" After a set of five, he stopped, catching his breath and watching Chie practice with her own set of frog leaps. It seemed as if nothing could deter her from exercise, not even the somewhat bulky jacket she still wore or the skirt that barely hid the compression shorts she wore. 

Yu blinked, pulling his thoughts away from anywhere they might drift off to. With haste, he resumed his exercise, his movement becoming sluggish and exhausted as the day passed by. Suddenly it was late in the afternoon, and his breathing was ragged, intermittent pants and deep breaths giving him not nearly enough oxygen. "Ha... you think... that that's enough? For today?" Yu spoke between breaths, trying to get his sentence out before Chie could get any ideas about suggesting another exercise. 

"Yeah, I think... I think that'll do it." She was sat opposite him on the grass, looking over towards him as they both struggled to catch their breath. Yu pushed himself up, slowly getting to his feet as he tried his best not to fall over. "Could you... help me up?" He nodded, then walked towards Chie and helped her to her feet. "Thanks." 

A droplet of rain fell right on the centre of her forehead, and he looked up into the sky as she did. "Crap, it's raining! I gotta get home fast. See ya, Narukami-kun!" By some miracle, she still had the strength to run, whilst Yu merely prayed he'd make it home in a relatively dry state. Today was a good day; though, his body might have other things to say about their workout tomorrow in the morning, when his body felt the consequences of his training. 

He was stiff and wet by the time he got home, and after shaking off as much water as he could, he hurried into the shower with a fresh change of clothes. The warm water soothed his muscles and heated his core, calming his mind down and relaxing him. His homework for the day was already finished, completed during class and during his breaks from the training. Yukiko should be at school tomorrow, though, where they could talk about the case. It was all that he could anticipate for the next day, for the storm was due to linger over the next few days. 

The fog would be setting in soon, too. Just a few days, and if they hadn't rescued her, Yukiko would have been dead... The thought made him sick to his stomach, and he quickly threw himself onto his futon to prevent any such scenarios from running through his head. He bundled himself up in his blankets, and allowed his mind to slip into unconsciousness. Chie appeared in his dreams, ordering him to do frog leaps, push-ups, crunches, and all sorts of exercises until his body gave out. With a chuckle, she pulled him up and forced him to run a mile, before finally, he woke up in a cold sweat.

A warm shower was all the recovery he needed, and he left for school after eating a light breakfast with Nanako. Rain pattered against his umbrella as he walked down Samegawa, a light mist obscuring the road ahead. Someone on a bike swerved around him as he manoeuvred to avoid a large puddle. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" the man shouted, his voice already distant. He did not recognise his voice, and he continued without thinking of it. 

The first member of the team he saw was Yukiko, who stood just past the school doors. "O-Oh, good morning." His presence shocked her slightly, as if pulling her from thought. 

"Feeling better?"

Yukiko nodded. "Y-Yeah. I'll be coming to school again, so... That'll be nice." She looked down, her expression becoming downcast and sorrowful as her lips came together in a frown. "I caused everyone some real trouble, didn't I? I'm sorry..."

She paused for a while, saying nothing. "I wouldn't apologise for anything, Amagi. It wasn't your fault that you got put in, was it?" She shook her head no. 

Another pause, and then she spoke. "You're right. 'Sorry' isn't quite what I'm looking for... yeah. What I mean to say is, thank you." She was smiling now, and Yu nodded his gratitude. "My mother's back to work already, too. The maids are really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before." 

Yu nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm glad. You aren't working yourself too hard, are you?" 

Yukiko looked away, somewhat embarrassed. "I-I don't think I am, no." She sighed, regaining her composure. "But maybe I was trying too hard. I think I was caught up in the idea that I had to do everything myself. But ever since the incident... I feel like I can think about these things with a calmer mind." 

Suddenly she blushed, turning away from him with a slightly mirthful expression. "B-But... it's still kind of embarrassing. You guys saw everything, even the things I didn't want to admit." 

"Don't worry, everyone's like that. Me, Satonaka, Hanamura... Everyone has a side they can't admit to themselves, let alone others." Yukiko turned back to face him as he spoke, her blush lessening but not disappearing altogether.

"Yukiko!" Chie's voice was muffled by the glass doors, and she quickly ran inside from the gate into the school courtyard. 

Yukiko smiled and turned to face her best friend, who was only slightly dripping. "Oh, it's so good to see you at school again!" She was as energetic as ever, leaving Yukiko to gently laugh the comment off. "Oh, right! I've been taking notes for you during class, so here's the latest bunch." Chie reached into her bag and pulled out a blue notebook, handing it to Yukiko.

"Thank you, Chie." The bell rang, interrupting them before any of them could say something. "We should be getting to class, shouldn't we?" Yu nodded, and led them up the stairs and into the classroom. 

His favourite music loving brunet waved at them as they walked in, already relaxing in his chair. "Morning, Amagi. Feeling better?" Yukiko nodded before sitting down, as polite and graceful as ever. It was almost comical, knowing that beyond her elegant appearance was a goofy lover of offbeat humour. Mr. Yamada stepped into the classroom, interrupting Yu's thoughts. 

He supposed he ought to have been glad for the disruption, considering his habit of all too easily slipping into deep thought. Notes appeared on his papers almost as if out of thin air, his hand idly writing as Yamada went through the lecture. 

Chie tapped him on the shoulder, and he quickly sat up against the back of his chair. "Falling asleep?" she whispered, looking at him. Yu rubbed his eyes, realising he must have been more tired than he thought. "Sure took lots of notes, though." Her comment brought his attention to the notebook on his desk. The page was filled to the brim with writing, and Yamada hadn't even said half of it yet. He quickly shut it, setting his pencil on top of it. "Something wrong?"

"No." His response was a little too quick, and a little too loud.

"Ah, what a perfect time to pick on the city boy." He stood up, knowing it was more than likely him that he was referring to. "What's the tallest mountain in the solar system?" 

This had been one of the test questions, one of the ones he hadn't expected. "Olympus Mons," Yu stated, before sitting back down. Yamada spoke his praise, though Yu's attention was preoccupied by his notes. Had he seriously zoned so much that he wrote down the rest of the lecture...? It wasn't a particularly complex class, and he had to admit the class was fairly interesting, as far as subjects went, but to-

The bell rang again, pulling him from his thoughts. "Hey, Satonaka. I didn't zone out again, did I?" 

She shook her head, causing a sigh of relief to slip out of Yu's mouth. "You were making some faces just now, but that was it. Are you getting enough sleep?" 

Yu shrugged, absent-mindedly packing his bag. "I'd say I'm getting enough sleep. Go to bed at two, wake up at seven-thirty. That's enough, right?" 

Chie furrowed her brow, frowning at him. "Dude... that's really not enough sleep." Even Yosuke seemed to disagree with his schedule, although Yu knew for a fact that he was even worse than him. He cast his eyes to the side, avoiding making contact with the other three. "Anyways, we can stage an intervention later. Amagi-san, can we talk to you? It's about the case." Yukiko nodded, turning around in her seat to face the rest of them.

Yosuke waited for a few other students to leave before speaking in a hushed tone. "I hate to bring up stuff you'd rather not think about, and I know you probably don't remember anything new, but we need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?"

Her expression soured with sorrow and remorse as she shook her head. "No... I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier. I think... the doorbell rang at the entrance, and someone called for me." She thought for a moment, then shook her head again. "But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle. Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Chie quickly said, dispelling any regrets Yukiko had about not knowing more. "But that means her visitor is the culprit, right?"

Yu said nothing as Yosuke shrugged. "I don't know... If it's true, then that's a pretty daring criminal right there. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell? And why wouldn't have anyone seen it happen, either inside the inn or outside?"

A silence fell over the four of them, with no one having anything to say to further their investigation. Well, nothing they wanted to say, at least. "I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this," Chie wondered aloud, a question that none of them had an answer to. Even he didn't quite know what Namatame's motives were.

"We won't know until we confront 'em ourselves, but we can be sure of one thing. It's no coincidence that people are disappearing and showing up in the TV World. Someone in our world is kidnapping them, then throwing them in. It's murder, all right." Yosuke was right on the money with that, and Yu affirmed his statement with a quiet nod. 

"That just means we have to stop him before he succeeds, right?" Yu shifted the attention onto himself as he spoke, though Yukiko was more confused than anything. "Oh, right. Hanamura and I are going to solve the case, for the bear in the TV."

Yukiko nodded, though was still somewhat perplexed by their plans. "Wouldn't it be safer just to let the police handle it?" 

"The police don't know about the TV World. We do, not to mention we can actively rescue the people who get thrown in." That did the trick, and Yukiko's confusion faded away into something of a look of admiration. "Satonaka's helping too."

"Mhm!" Chie hummed loudly and nodded. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!" 

"Easy, Satonaka. We wouldn't want the police to think we beat him to an inch of his life now, would we?" She shrugged at Yosuke's question, and Yu realised that he was unsure how the legality of that worked out. They hadn't asked questions when they brought Namatame in with such severe sickness, but... 

Chie, at any rate, seemed to disagree. "Nah. Just say it was part of subduing him, and I'm sure they'll look past that." He had to say something to that, though.

"I'm pretty sure that'd just make it worse." She looked at him and frowned, before turning back to Yosuke.

"Whatever it is I can do, I'll make sure to do my all so that we can catch him and make him pay! Isn't that right, Narukami? Hanamura?" The pair of them nodded, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. Mostly, at least.

"Chie..." Yukiko's voice betrayed how she'd been emotionally moved by her best friend's conviction to solve the case. She looked Yu in the eyes, now. "Let me help too. I want to know why this is happening, and why they had to try and kill me. I don't want to just run away from this, like I ran away from myself." 

With a nod, the first full iteration of the team was complete. "Alright! Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!" Yosuke's suggestion was deemed favourable by his audience, and everyone nodded.

"Agreed." He and Yukiko spoke at the same time, though their voices were less than harmonious. "We'll have to wait for more leads, though. Amagi-san may have been the third one so far, but I doubt she'll be the end of it." 

The rest of the team ran through their own thoughts before Yukiko spoke up. "If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?" She had a fair point, though it was unfortunate they'd never been able to properly stage an ambush. 

"So," Yosuke said, "we figure out who the next victim is and then outsmart them, huh? Yeah, that might work. Let's see... First was the announcer, Mayumi Yamano. The second victim was Narukami Yu, and the third was Amagi Yukiko. Narukami, why'd you think it was going to be Amagi-san, again?" He posed the question towards Yu, and he looked over to face him.. 

"They aired an interview of her whilst I was in the hospital, didn't they? So far, everyone's shown up on TV, one way or another, before appearing on the Midnight Channel." Yosuke nodded his head, thinking to himself. Chie, on the other hand, seemed to be less convinced.

"Wait, but... is that really enough? Why would the killer choose who they kidnap based on someone's appearance on TV?" Yu shrugged, unsure of that himself. It had always worked out like that, but frankly, he was still rather confused as to why it had.

"Either way, that's what it's been like so far." 

"Hang on," Yosuke said, apparently eager to come up with something other than just the TV. "Amagi-san, wasn't Yamano staying at the inn before she disappeared?" She nodded, emboldening Yosuke. "You and Narukami both had a connection to the original case, then. She stayed at your inn, and Narukami found the body first." Yu opened his mouth to protest, but said nothing when he realised it would achieve little. 

Chie leaned forwards, placing her chin in her hands as she rested her elbows on her desk. "So, does that mean anyone on TV who's connected to the first case is being targetted? That's kind of a stretch..." 

Yosuke's point was thrown into doubt by Chie, and Yu nodded in agreeance. "Maybe it's one, or maybe it's the other. We'll just have to see though, whenever the next victims come up. Either way, we should watch the Midnight Channel whenever we can to see if we can match it to someone." 

"Midnight Channel?" Yukiko asked, evidently unaware of what they were talking about. Chie filled her in on the details, as well as how she'd originally heard it. "Oh, right! You told me about that before Chie, didn't you?" Without warning her attention shifted and she stared intently at Yu, before looking down and blushing furiously. 

"Yukiko? Is something wrong?" She shook off Chie's concern, though the quick movement of her head did nothing to remove her blush. "...Did you watch it and see Narukami, too?" 

Yukiko mumbled something to herself, unintelligible to all but possibly Chie. "A-Anyways," Yosuke said, diverting attention off of Yukiko, "regardless of why they show up, it seems the victims appear on the Midnight Channel. So, if we can figure out who the victim is on there, we can try and warn them. Is there anything else?"

When no one said anything, Yu stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I think that's all we can come up with, and I gotta get going. Let's see about going into the TV tomorrow, okay?" Chie and Yosuke nodded, and he left them to fill Yukiko in on everything else. He wondered what might happen if he tried to rush the case along; confront Namatame early, fight his Shadow, then nothing. That was perhaps the most likely scenario, given how it had happened last time. Igor's words still lingered in the back of his mind; he had to consider all that he'd said about destiny, and fulfilling his contract with Teddie. 

He sighed, the rain making for a calming if not also tiring walk home. Perhaps there was something beyond Namatame, someone lurking in the shadows. Who was it and what did he have to do to find out were both good questions that ran through his mind, but more important was how could he stop everyone from breaking apart? He wanted to scream, for he did not know. For a short moment, he hated the opportunity to do everything again; it meant he simply had to wait and follow the motions before uncovering the truth.


	13. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a month and a half of being away, I've finally pulled my shit together and wrote another chapter.

"How long are they gonna take?" Yosuke asked, and Yu could only shrug in response. "It doesn't take this long to fix up some instant noodles, right?"

They sat together in the gym, on the side of the stage to enjoy the measly scraps of food they had that they tried to call 'lunch', as well as a reprieve from the rain. "Maybe they got yelled at by Morooka?" The two girls had said they were going to heat up their lunch on their way over to the gymnasium, and broke off from him and Yosuke. "That'd probably keep them for half of lunch." 

Yosuke groaned, holding only a small energy bar in his hand. "Yeah, you're right. Guess we should just wait, huh? I'd hate to leave just before they finally get here." The brunet's stomach growled, despite the bar of granola he was currently eating. He frowned, then turned to Yu. "Man, I'm starving. What about you, got anything to eat?"

Yu shook his head, unfortunately having nothing on him. "Just some lint."

"I, uh, don't think that's quite edible partner." Yu shook his head again, fully aware that consuming pocket lint would do nothing but harm for his stomach. "Hey look, there they are." He followed the direction of Yosuke's finger, and saw the other half of the team walking in with two bowls of noodles in tow. 

It felt odd, saying they were half the team when it was only the two of them. Chie and Yukiko sat on Yu's side, forcing Yosuke to lean forwards to see them. "What took you two so long?" he asked, still somewhat irate.

"S-Sorry. There was a longer line at the microwave than we thought there'd be." Chie, with a look of almost devilish hunger, tore off the covering to her soba and dug in with a pair of chopsticks. "Did you guys already eat already?"

He and Yosuke both shook their heads, commiserating with each other in their lack of food. "Speaking of, could I try just a little bit of that? Just one tiny bite?" Yosuke did his best to convince Chie to give him some food, and was immediately met with refusal.

"Hands off the soba, pal! Go get your own if you want some..." As if to rub it in, Chie punctuated her refusal with another bite of her noodles, but stopped her hands before she reached her mouth. She sighed, reaching over Yu's lap to hand the bowl to Yosuke. "Okay, fine. Just one bite, got it? That has to last me until the end of school."

Yosuke grinned and quickly took it from her before she could change her mind, and chowed down on the noodles. He was ravenous, unbound by their agreement. Gluttonous was a good word for it, Yu mused. Its aroma finally wafted into his senses, sparking his own need for food. But he remembered this, and- "Do you want to try some?" Yukiko's voice was almost angelic, though his self-awareness over his urge to feast twisted her words into that of the Devil's. 

Painfully, he shook his head. "Are you sure? I don't mind." He swallowed and bit back his tongue, shaking his head once more.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to accept without eating all of it. Thank you, though." His stomach growled, his gut betraying his hunger as Yukiko shoved her unopened bowl of udon towards him. 

"Please, take it." There was almost a sense of urgency in her voice, as if he would starve to death without eating at this very moment.

She was making it harder and harder to refuse. "N-No, I couldn't. It's your lunch, after all." The bowl shook in her hands, and he shook his head once more. 

Reluctantly, she pulled it back and opened it up herself. "Well, if you're sure." Yu sighed, his stomach hating him but his wallet thanking him as he looked over at Yosuke. As he expected, Yosuke had already eaten the entire bowl, too hungry to prevent himself from consuming the entire thing.

Chie only realised this a few seconds after Yu tapped her on the shoulder. "Aaaaahh! What the hell did you do!?" She braced herself on Yu's shoulder as she leaned over and grabbed the bowl from Yosuke, peering into the empty green and white container. "It's all gone. You ate everything..."

She set the bowl between her and Yukiko, then hopped off the side of the stage to look Yosuke right in the eye. "You know what this means... right, Hanamura?" Her expression hardened into a glare, instilling fear in Yosuke and causing him to push himself away from her. Slowly, her leg reared back as she balanced on the other foot, moving into position.

"W-Wait wait wait! Stop, I'm sorry! I'll buy you steak! It'll be all on me!" Words flew from his mouth as Yosuke tried his best to spare himself from the wrath of one of Chie's famously strong kicks. "Y-You hear? The very best!" Her intense expression weakened as she thought about his offer, weighing the benefits between eating free steak and kicking the back of her heel right into Yosuke's pancreas. 

"Steak, huh?" She thought for a moment more, her expression becoming contemplative. "The very best steak, you say? What might that be..."

"Filet?" Yu said, earning himself a light rap on his arm from his partner. 

Chie nodded, smiling once more as she looked up at Yosuke. "Yeah! We've reached a verdict, Hanamura! You are hereby sentenced to buying me steak! Filet, as per Narukami-kun's suggestion." Yosuke groaned, feeling the pain of a lighter wallet already. Yu sympathetically patted him on the shoulder, glad that he'd barely avoided being lumped in with his partner. "Filet, filet, filet, filet mignon!" She was rather chipper about how things had turned out, and it warmed his heart to hear her odd, yet enthusiastic tune. 

Yosuke shot daggers at him with his glare as they returned to class, and Yu couldn't help but feel a little guilty about suggesting the filet. "How about I order something too, and we just split the bill?" His suggestion seemed to placate Yosuke, though only slightly. That way, he could hit two birds with one stone; lessen the amount that Yosuke had to pay, and get some food for himself. 

He could hardly pay attention in class after lunch, too hungry to possibly listen to the lectures that stretched the day into an eternity. When the bell finally rang, he almost shouted out of relief at being able to get some food. "Ready for some steak, Satonaka?" She nodded, equally eager to get some food, especially since it'd be free. "Show us the way, Hanamura."

Yosuke groaned as he stood up, his hands pushing against the imprint of his wallet in his pants to make sure it was still there. "Let's get this over with," he muttered, starting towards the door.

"Are you coming with, Yukiko?" At Chie's enquiry she nodded, and followed behind Yosuke's lead. They were led down the steps of Yasogami and into the locker bay of the school. 

"So, partner, where are you taking us?" Yu asked with a somewhat playful tone. "Treating us to some of that new Junes steak?" 

The look of confusion and suspicion he got from Yosuke unsettled him. "Where'd you hear about that from? Those aren't going on sale for like, a few days." Shit. 

"I, uh, heard it from someone." Why weren't the steaks being served yet? They'd definitely gone to Junes before, hadn't they? Except, it hadn't been raining back then, and the fog from the storm had already passed through. Yosuke sighed and shrugged, apparently not wanting to dig too deep into it.

"Oh well. Anyways, I was thinking of the Gyu-Kaku that they have in town?" Chie nodded her approval of Yosuke's suggestion, following behind him and Yu as they walked out of the school. He'd gone only a few times before, though those memories with Chie and Yukiko seemed more distant than anything else so far. A warmth spread through him and he smiled, simply glad to finally be able to speak, joke, and laugh with them once again. "Partner?" Yosuke's voice had stirred him out of his thoughts, and he quickly blinked away his melancholy as he looked up. "You're looking a little spaced out there."

All that Yu could offer was a shrug. "I'm just hungry, is all. How far away is this place?" 

"Only about... what, a mile and a half away? It's up by the shopping district." The rest of the walk there was filled with small talk between the four of them, though Yu only gave the occasional input into their conversation. Chie and Yosuke did their best to shy away from bringing up the TV World and the case, out of fear that she might not want to talk about what happened too much. They were being too sensitive, honestly; Yukiko was strong enough to talk about it, he thought.

He wasn't sure when his attention drifted upwards towards the bleary grey sky that threatened to rain down on them at any moment. It was odd, introducing Yukiko to the TV World on such a gloomy day, though he supposed that it wouldn't change all that much, outside of maybe encountering the occasional Rainy shadow. Whilst those could have been a nuisance, Yukiko's presence meant they had a full coverage of the elements now. 

Yu had always tried his best to make sure there was never anything whose weakness they couldn't exploit, though it had always left him rather exhausted after having to switch back and forth between each Persona. Though, without Igor to fuse Personas together, he suspected that it'd be rather difficult for him to cover everything on his own. Hopefully, Izanagi's strength would be able to make up for that difference, at least for a while. 

"Oh hey, it's this place!" Chie exclaimed, running up towards the restaurant's exterior. "I'd almost forgotten about it, you know. Remember going here, Yukiko?" The other girl nodded, leading the four inside and hanging her unused umbrella on the rack to her left as she walked in. Eager to get her order placed, Chie led them over towards a table and sat down, gesturing for him and Yukiko to sit down as well whilst Yosuke walked over to grab menus for everyone. Yu's stomach growled as he sat down, earning a knowing smile from Chie. "Hungry, huh?" 

He nodded, already wondering what he might get. "Yeah. I'm thinking some sirloin, sausage, shrimp, zucchini, and rice." The brunette licked her lips at the thought of so much delicious food, too distracted to notice that Yosuke had come back with the menus, and only saw it after it had laid in front of her for a few seconds. 

"Yukiko, do you want anything?" Chie asked, holding the menu out for her friend to read. After a quick read through the options, the girl nodded.

"Um... Just a salad," she said, and soon Chie was listing off what she wanted: filet, toro beef, chicken breast, fried pork gyoza, beef tongue... if he didn't know her well, he'd have thought that she was ordering too much. Then again, he was paying for her food... 

He shot a look of sympathy over at Yosuke, whose look of dread had gotten worse and worse the more that Chie said she was ordering, and he leaned over to give him a quick pat on the back. A small burst of warmth flourished in his chest at the sight of Yosuke's smile and at the touch, but he quickly pulled his hand back before he lingered too long. "Are you two ready to order?" A waiter asked, holding a small pad and pen in their hand. Chie ordered all that she said she would as well as the salad for Yukiko, though Yu added an order of karaage in as well for an appetiser. 

There were a few moments of silence before anyone said anything, and they all turned to Chie as she hummed to herself. "Thinking about something Satonaka?" asked Yosuke, who still seemed to be somewhat bitter about having to pay for half of their food. She glanced over at Yukiko, then nodded.

"Yeah... I was just wondering what kind of person the culprit is." Yu wanted to suggest 'crazy, obsessed, and delusional,' but he decided against it.

Yosuke gave a quick look towards Yukiko before speaking. "If you focus just on the announcer's case, it seems like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife?" Chie and Yu both shook their head, though she spoke before he could.

"But, Hiiragi Misuzu had a solid alibi, didn't she? And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband..." Yosuke's eyebrows pinched together in a frown, the idea discredited by Chie's information. Yu doubted it himself, as well. They had an entire year to dig up evidence, yet nothing ever pointed towards her.

"You sure know an awful lot about this, huh?" Chie shrugged, offering a slightly embarrassed smile after her knowledge of gossip was pointed out. "Well, what about the second case? Narukami found the announcer's body, and assuming the same person tried to kill them both, why would they target him?"

Everyone's eyes were on him now. "Well... There wasn't anything very special about her body, so I think we can rule out that they wanted to shut me up. If that was the case, then they'd probably try to throw me in again, too. Maybe it was just because they saw me on the Midnight Channel?" Yu brought his hands up to his mouth as he balled them together and leaned into it as he thought. Namatame had warned him the day he was thrown into the TV, but was that enough to clear him of suspicion? They had caught him in the act, and it was safe to say that he had kidnapped everyone... yet Igor's words still stuck with him. 

Did they need to figure out why Namatame was kidnapping them too? No, that wouldn't make sense. He'd promised to find the culprit and catch them, not to figure out their life story. Namatame was due to be sentenced for the kidnappings that he confessed to as well, so if it was just him, then everything wouldn't have gone so... poorly. "Well, we can't rule that possibility, but... Maybe there's something that you missed?" Yosuke said, still looking at him. "Something that would only click if you found more evidence?"

Yu shrugged, unsure of what to say to that. "But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right? I don't think he would've left evidence that the police--much less a high school student--would catch." Chie nodded in agreeance, always having her best friend's back when she had something to say. 

"The police would have seen it, too. We've not heard anything about them being targeted, have we?" Everyone shook their head in response to Chie's addition, and it was safe to say that Yosuke's idea was wrong. There were half a dozen police on scene who would have seen the exact same thing that he did. Why would none of them be thrown in after a year? 

The door to the restaurant opened, and Yu turned around to watch Adachi walk in. Ah, that's right. They tried him for information today. "Man, I thought the countryside would be a snooze, but it's been more exciting than I thought," he said, talking to himself as always. Yu was surprised that an entire year had passed without Dojima taking some sort of action against letting him speak. Adachi walked over towards the basket that held the menus, opening it up as he walked over to one of the two-person tables. "Ah, this is new.."

He'd just sat down when Yu turned to face him, and the two locked eyes for a second. "Ah!" Adachi quickly stood up, setting the menu down on his table as he walked over. "Hey, you were at Dojima-san's..." The rookie detective laughed nervously for a few seconds before continuing. "I-I'm not... Oh, wait- hey, this is great timing after all. Dojima-san said that he'd be leaving work on time tonight. Could you pass that on to Nanako-chan?" Yu smiled at the mention of Nanako and Dojima, and nodded both his promise and his thanks. Adachi turned to face everyone else after that, giving the same goofy smile as always. "Oh, right. I'm Adachi, Dojima-san's gofer- Err, I mean, his partner."

"Say, Adachi-san? Do you think the killer targeted Narukami to silence him?" Adachi, half surprised and half dismayed at Yosuke's eagerness to ask him a question, thought for a moment.

"Ah-ahaah... You sure got to the heart of the matter." Again, he laughed nervously, slowly figuring out what he wanted to say in response. "Well, we're also thinking along those lines. Narukami was kidnapped right after the announcer's body was found, which might mean there was something only he would have understood. But, Narukami hasn't told us anything he might have known yet, so I doubt that's the case." Adachi's attention had slowly drifted over towards Yu as he spoke, though he was more interested in when his order would get here. The wait was starting to become rather painful. "Right now the prevailing theory is that he was a warning to the police, saying not to investigate or else, but that doesn't have much proof-

"A-Ah wait, were you listening to all that!? Crap, me and my big mouth... Don't tell anyone I said any of that, or they'll flay me alive, okay? Relax, kids; the police are on the job." Before he could say anything else, Adachi walked back over to his table and sat down, opening his menu. A waiter came walking out of the kitchen soon after, carrying a large platter of dishes that he soon sat down in front of Chie, Yukiko, and him. He and Chie were quick to eat, chowing down on what they'd ordered with shared enthusiasm after having so little to eat that day. 

"Mmmm!" She exclaimed, mouth half full of food. "So delicious!" Chie hardly had the time to talk between bites, and to say that she had been starving would have been an understatement. There was something especially wild to how she ate, as if she'd been told she had only a minute to eat as much as she wanted. The sight made him chuckle, and he soon realised that he wanted to eat just as fast as well. 

Eventually, the two had finished their food, stomachs adequately filled and plates cleaned of all meaningful substance. "So," Yosuke said, looking at the two of them as they sat in their post-meal afterglow. "Want to take Amagi-san into the TV World now?"

Yu nodded, pushing his chair out and slowly standing to his feet. "Do you have anything you need to do today, Amagi-san?" he asked, looking at her now. She shook her head, standing to her feet before Chie could. He walked over towards the counter with Yosuke, the both of them pulling out their wallets to pay for Chie's and his meals. "She... really ate a lot, huh?"

"That she did, partner... Sometimes I wonder where it all goes." Yu chuckled, nodding his head. Her capacity for food was indeed limitless, though it was hindered by the pace she ate at. If she was a little slower, she could probably take on the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge. "Anyways, lets head over to Junes before the rain picks up, yeah?" With a nod, the two returned to Chie and Yukiko before walking out, bound for Junes.

\---

Yu was the first to climb into the TV and the first to climb out of it. It was always rather awkward, realising you were falling in the direction that was just seconds ago sideways for. He heard Yukiko yelp when she went in, and stifled a laugh. Coming out was just as awkward, and required a little bit of finesse to get in without bumping into a few things. "Sensei!" Teddie called out, walking over the second that he saw people coming out of the TV. Yukiko fell out of the TV a second later, quickly pushing herself onto her feet as the other two jumped through.

They had taken well to travelling back and forth, though Yosuke had to catch himself from falling more often than not each time. "Wow... This really is inside the TV." Yukiko's mouth was agape as she looked around the backlot, though he knew the fog must have limited her vision. "Oh, it's Teddie-san." The bear gave her a small wave with his hand, before bringing it back behind his back. "So it wasn't a dream..."

"Hmm... Sensei, I've been thinking about something for a while now." Yu arched his eyebrow at Teddie, wondering where he was going with this. "What's it mean to 'score a hot stud?'" A soundless laugh escaped him and his lips turned upwards in a slight grin. 

He walked forwards and put his hand on Teddie's head, ruffling his fur slightly. "That's nothing for you to worry about, Teddie." 

Yosuke cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention before turning towards Yukiko. "Anyways... This bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit. Something about people being thrown in and causing all sorts of trouble?" he said, looking towards Chie to confirm what he'd said, receiving a nod of affirmation from her.

"I'm one of the group now too," Yukiko said as she walked up to Teddie. "Let's work together, okay?"

With a happy grin, Teddie nodded. "Yep! I was thinking the same thing, so I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!" She reached out to take the pair of glasses in his hand from him, studying for a few seconds before putting them on.

Yukiko looked around, surprised yet again at how clear everything was now. "Oh, so these are what everyone's wearing. Thank you Teddie," she said with an almost regal smile, before continuing to look around. "It's just as if the fog doesn't exist..." Now that she had her glasses, the purple metal of the catwalks, scaffolding, and spotlights were clearly visible. Yu wasn't sure why exactly this place looked like it was, or why there were chalk outlines of eighteen people on the floor, but there were probably some questions best left unanswered.

"Hey Teddie, tell me something. How come you have so many pairs of glasses?" Chie asked, looking over at the mascot with his 'delicate hands' for 'delicate work.' 

Almost prideful, he smiled up at her. "Excellent question!" he exclaimed. "Guess what? I'm the one who makes them. I've lived here for a long time, so I came up with some ways to be comfortable here."

Yosuke and Chie nodded along, though Yukiko spoke up before he could continue. "Ah... But don't you need a pair too, Teddie-san?" Teddie shook his head and pointed towards his eye with his finger.

"Nope! My eyes themselves are actually lenses!" He said, acting as if it was some big secret that everyone should be glad to hear about. "You didn't know?" Yu almost laughed when he heard Yosuke grumble a few feet behind him.

"Of course not..."

Teddie stomped his foot into the ground, turning towards the brunet. "Wh-Why are you being so mean? You're acting like you're not interested at all!" the mascot exclaimed angrily, now holding his hands out in front of him. "I'm a really dexterous bear! See how smoothly my fingers move!" His fingers, though made into two by the mittens that were his hands, moved back and forth.

"What am I even looking at!?" Yosuke shouted, before roughly pushing the mascot onto his back. For a moment he debated saying something against it, but it was Teddie they were talking about; he'd be fine.

"Hm?" Yukiko's attention was focused on the other pair of glasses that Teddie'd dropped. "You dropped something."

Teddie walked over, scratching his head as he looked down at the pair. "Oh... that's a pair I kinda screwed up on." A small smile snuck onto his face as he noticed the peculiar nose on the frame. 

"Ah, this is..." She giggled quietly to herself as she took her glasses off, then put on the new pair. "How do I look, Chie?" 

For a second, the others didn't know how to respond to Yukiko's Groucho glasses. Yu gave her a thumbs up. "Looks great." Yosuke shot him a questioning look as Yukiko laughed for a while longer.

"Do you like that one, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked. With her expression alone, Chie begged him not to further encourage her, to no effect.

Yukiko nodded as she pushed the glasses further up her face. "I want to wear this one. It's even got a nose guard!" 

That earned a vehement shake of the head from Chie, obviously opposed to the idea. "Ohhh no you don't!" Yu chuckled at her passionate response.

"How bear-y unfortunate... That pair doesn't have the right lenses in. Guess I should've made an actual pair." Disappointed, Yukiko slowly took off the glasses and put on her actual pair. Then she pointed them towards Chie.

"Come on, Chie. Your turn."

Chie's resistance to her best friend's request lasted only a few seconds. "Huh? Ah, fine..." For a moment longer she hesitated, before taking her glasses off and putting the nose glasses on. For a moment, Yukiko was content to stifle a laugh and giggle, though she eventually broke into a vigorous and hearty laughing fit. "How'd it come to this?" Chie wondered aloud, shaking her head at her friend.

"A-Amagi-san?" Yosuke asked, utterly confused as to everything that was going on.

The shorter girl sighed, shaking her head again. "There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits... I never thought she'd do it when someone beside me was around." Suddenly she looked over at Teddie, accusing him with the look. "These stupid glasses are useless for investigating! I mean, what the hell's this nose for, anyway!?"

Teddie frowned, disliking how unappreciative Chie was of his glasses. "Nice work, huh? That's what happens when you guys leave me here alone and I get bored!" Yu walked over, gently petting the bear's fur. 

"W-Well," Yosuke started, "I'm glad that she's in high spirits... I guess. Partner, are we gonna go in today?" He was looking over at Yu now, and Yu shook his head.

Yukiko's laughing fit continued unabashedly, causing her to double over. "Oh Chie, the look on your face... Snrk- Hahaha, it was so funny! I-I can't stop- oh my stomach..." She struggled to hold herself together as Chie took the glasses off, quickly shoving the faux pair into Yukiko's hands and putting her old ones on.

"Let's just go home," Yu said, and the three turned towards the TVs.

\---

After such a cold day, Yu was glad to have a warm cup of coffee in his hands. A year ago, he'd have probably settled for something like hot chocolate or tea. A year of investigation had turned him towards simple black coffee. "The fourth and the fifth," Dojima said, drawing the attention of him and Nanako. "I think I might be able to get the 4th and the 5th off."

"Really?!" Nanako exclaimed, excited at the idea. His happiness for her was diminished by the memory of Dojima having to call in for work those days after all, though he did his best to say nothing. "...Really?"

Dojima put his newspaper down, looking at her almost sadly. "What, you don't believe me?" 

His heart pained as Nanako looked at her box of juice, frowning glumly. "...It's always cancelled." Dojima sighed, hurting at the sight as well.

"N-Not every year!" Dojima paused for a moment after that, and Yu briefly wondered if he was counting the years his days off had been cancelled. "I know you wanted to go to Junes, but... I wouldn't mind going a little further out of the neighbourhood."

"Really?" Nanako said, standing up to look at her father. "Can we go on a trip?"

The detective thought about that for a moment longer. "Well, it might be okay to go on a trip once in a while. I'm sure it'll be crowded everywhere, though..." Regardless of how he tempered it, Nanako's excitement lost none of its edge.

"Yaaay! We're going on a trip!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and waving from side to side. Yu couldn't help but smile at it, even when he turned to face Dojima as he spoke.

"Hm... alright, alright. We need to think of someplace to go, then. How about it, Yu? Wanna come along with us?" Still smiling, he nodded his wish to go.

Nanako giggled, beaming down at him. "Yeah! Let's go with big bro!" 

Dojima raised his eyebrows at how she referred to Yu. It must have been the first time hearing her say that, Yu surmised. "Big bro...? Anyways, sounds like she wants us all to go together, huh?" The two of them both nodded.

"Let's bring boxed lunches!" Nanako suggested, still enthusiastic about the trip.

Dojima nodded, smiling now as well. "Yeah, good idea. We're always eating side dishes for dinner," before frowning. "But I can't cook, and Nanako's not good enough yet to make them by herself. Well, it'll work out," Dojima said as he folded his newspaper up and walked up to Yu. "That's what we've got this guy for, huh Nanako?" He jumped slightly when Dojima slapped his shoulder, though it quickly brought him a smile. 

"Vacation, vacation! I can't wait!" Nanako exclaimed, earning a smile out of Yu. "You can make lunches for all of us, right?" 

With confidence, he nodded. "Of course I can, Nanako." The smile he got was all the payment he needed for being volunteered as their cook, though he knew he would have done it anyway.


	14. Experimentation

_Pi pi pi, pi pi pi_

Yu groaned as the sound of his phone's ring tone woke him the next morning, a stark contrast to the heavy rain outside his door. He pushed himself out of his futon and over towards his desk, grabbing his phone and ripping out its charging cable before flipping it open and pressing it to his ears. "H-... Hello?"

"Oh, hello?" It was Chie. "It's me, Satonaka. Do you have time to go inside the TV after school today? Now that Yukiko's with us, I think it might be good for her to get some experience with being in that place." Yu started to nod, but stopped himself; why was he nodding? She wouldn't be able to tell.

"Yeah," he said, slowly pulling himself out of bed. "I could do with some exercise, too."

A chill ran through his bones as she laughed. "If you need exercise, just call me!" He groaned, a twinge of pain coursing through his muscles at the mere thought.

"You'd run me ragged... See you after school, Satonaka." On that note he hung up, closing his phone and placing it back on the table.

_Brrt, brrt, brrt_

Yu looked over at his alarm clock as it started to go off, telling him that it was time for him to wake up. He sighed as he walked over to turn that off, too; he was already having second thoughts about getting out of bed to answer Chie's call that morning. Sure, it would have been easier... but it also would have been unproductive. He clasped his hands together and placed them over his mouth as he yawned, only a small amount of the morning's exhaustion leaving him along with his breath. At least his hands were slightly warmer, now.

The lack of excitement he felt for that day grew smaller as he walked down the stairs, the smell of sausage, egg, and toast making its way into his senses. Nanako's breakfast was always a treat. Maybe he should cook for her one day... "Good morning, big bro!" Nanako said with a giggle, instantly bringing a smile to his lips. Today wouldn't be so bad after all, he decided.

\---

Classes that day had almost made clearing the floors of Yukiko's castle sound like a special treat to him. Homeroom with Morooka followed by lectures on philosophy, math, and even a quick talk about economics had bored him half to death. "Hey, sensei!" Teddie shouted, walking over to greet him as he stepped out from the TV set. Chie was the first one to come out after him, followed by Yosuke and Yukiko just a few seconds later.

"Anything new, Teddie?" Yu's eyebrow raised as the bear nodded and turned towards the catwalk they took over to Yukiko's dungeon.

"I can sense a strong Shadow in that place we rescued Yuki-chan from... I don't think it's related to the case, but if you could take care of it, I'd be one happy bear!" Yu nodded as he turned towards the pile of weapons, clothes, and various other items and pieces of equipment just a few feet away from the TV. His wooden bokken and Yosuke's knives were there, but he hadn't had the opportunity to store Yukiko's metal fan with the others, and it still sat in his back pocket.

Yosuke was the first to pick up his gear, and he turned towards Yu as he did so. "Hey, partner. Think the weapons will be alright whilst we're gone?" Yosuke pulled one of his knives out of its sheath, inspecting the blade. "I don't see any rust, but you never know..." Yu shrugged.

"They'll probably be fine," he said, crouching down to pick up his own sword. "We can just buy new ones if they tarnish." Yukiko looked up at him as he started towards her, reaching his hand around to pull the fan out from his pocket. "This is for you, too."

She inspected the weapon for a short while, flipping it over a few times before flicking it open. It was made of metal, with black and red paint and a satin finish. "Thank you," Yukiko muttered, folding it back up and holding it at her side. "Hmm... Chie? Since when did you have a winter jacket like that?" she asked, now looking at her friend as she put a heavy bright blue jacket on over her usual green and yellow colours.

"Oh! Narukami bought it for me a few days ago, to wear here so our clothes don't get all messed up," she said as she turned around to give Yukiko a full view of her new jacket. Yosuke was pulling his on too, a slight smile on his face as he admired how it looked. When he'd first bought it, he was somewhat scared as to how he'd like the jacket; although it wouldn't have had an effect on how well they did in the TV, his morale would have been lowered, or some such thing.

Though, frankly, Yu was pretty sure he'd have missed seeing Yosuke's smile so often more than anything else. He pulled his own coat over his uniform, the same white coat he'd bought last winter. Well... it was close enough to the one he bought, at least. "Are there any clothes for me?" Yukiko asked, looking his way.

He shook his head. "I'll buy some before we come in again."

The promise of clothes before their next venture into the TV World seemed to be enough to satisfy her, and Yukiko spread her fan open once again to get a feel for it. "Are we all ready?" she asked, looking around at the others. The other three had all of their gear on and at the ready, though Yu had to admit that seeing Chie without any of her greaves on was odd, to say the least.

Suddenly Teddie was walking up to him, pulling him from his thought. "Sensei! How come I don't get to have any new clothes?" he asked, with all the mannerisms of a child who hadn't yet received his Christmas presents.

Yu felt Teddie's soft fur as he reached out and softly pet the bear. Unfortunately, it would take more than that to sate him... "There's probably something we can get you, Teddie. A long scarf maybe?" The bear nodded jubilantly, a wide smile aimed his way.

"Sensei's the bear-y best!" he exclaimed, before turning around to face one of the catwalks. "Now... which way was it to the castle, again?"

If Teddie had been any closer, Yu was certain that Chie would have slapped him. "You've already forgotten?!" she shouted, shaking her head with disappointment. "Ugh... Come on, Yukiko. Let's just lead the way." With a determined nod, the raven black-haired girl followed behind her best friend as they started towards one of the catwalks. Yu gestured towards Yosuke and Teddie, then followed them out of the backlot.

Beyond being protective enough to leave their uniforms and clothes underneath unscathed, the coats and jackets served another purpose. The majority of the TV World was somewhat cold, with the exception of Kanji's sauna and some of the routes they took on their way to each dungeon. It wasn't nearly as cold as Inaba got during the winter, thank god, but overdressed was always preferable to underdressed. Though it would've been nice if he could wear this next winter, too, and he doubted that his meagre sewing skills would be able to keep it in wearable condition, much less keep it warm.

But Kanji would probably be able to help with that, he realised. Then again, it was possible that he wouldn't accept. Maybe he could hand it off to his mother, then? Yeah, that'd probably work. "Hey, Narukami?" Chie was speaking to him now, and he quickly shook his head and blinked to clear his thoughts. "We're here." Ah.

The entrance to the castle was just as foreboding as all of the others, its red and black striped doorway irreverent of light and shadow alike. Yosuke had been the first to walk through, and was quickly followed by Teddie. "So we just... walk through?" asked Yukiko, blinking as if unsure of what she just witnessed. He nodded, then stepped into it himself. The process as a whole had been somewhat disorienting at first, walking through something you couldn't feel until eventually you came out on the other side. It got better after the first few trips through; thankfully, he'd had more than a few to get accustomed to it.

Chie and Yukiko stepped out from the entrance just after he did, the latter looking more confused and dazed than everyone else. She stepped up to the front of the group as she took in the sight of the castle hallways; white and black checkered tile floors with a red and gold trim carpet, as well as windows with just a hint of yellow that lined almost all parts of the walls.

"Hm... this floor is different from before," Teddie said after a brief moment of sniffing. "We'll have to climb all the floors again, sensei."

Yu simply shrugged and brought his sword up to rest on his shoulders. "That's fine. We can ease Amagi-san into fighting, that way." He said nothing else as he started down the hallway, leaving the other three to follow. Unlike how Chie and Yosuke had been during their first foray into the TV World, Yukiko was bold and courageous, strong and wilful. It wasn't long until he picked up the sounds of their first Shadows for the day, though it was very likely just some sort of Hablerie or Pesce.

He heard Yukiko gasp as they rounded the corner and almost walked into a group of three Pesce. Without any direction or advice, Konohana Sakuya was out and introducing the Shadows to the concept of a fiery death. Yukiko laughed excitedly at the sight, the fire reflecting off of her glasses and eyes as Yu looked over at her. He didn't bother to summon Izanagi, as by the time the fire had been snuffed out by the lack of any actual fuel, Yosuke and Chie were already charging in with their Personas and cleaning everything up. "Did I do good?" he heard Yukiko ask as she walked up to face him.

His approval came in the form of a thumbs-up, though Chie's was far more vocal. "You did great, Yukiko!"

"Yeah," said Yosuke, "though it's actually kind of scary how quick that went with Amagi." Yu and Chie couldn't help but snicker at his admission. Quick fights meant less time for trouble or mistakes, and Yu had no problem doing without either of them.

Chie looked at the brunet with that same half-grin, half-smirk she got whenever she started to taunt or tease. "What, you scared that Yukiko's going to be better than you?"

"H-Huh?" Yosuke shook his head with too much vigour to be convincing. "No, it's just... When we first came in, everything was so mysterious and intimidating. But now, they're nothing to us."

"Oh, yeah," she remarked, like something obvious had just been pointed out. "I think... seeing Narukami in action had made me less nervous about all of it, but you weren't..." Chie trailed off as both he and Yosuke looked away now that they were being talked about.

There was a short-lived silence between the four of them until Yu finally cleared his throat. "Come on, let's keep going." The others were quick to follow him as he walked down the hallways of the castle, leading everyone from one floor to the next. He was glad to see that the teleportation gimmick on floor five had stopped, and getting to the exit was no longer a matter of walking forwards for a while, before suddenly walking backwards.

They were no more than ten minutes through the sixth floor when Chie shrieked, pulling everyone's attention away from their surroundings and onto her. Did something happen whilst he- No, she was fine, he decided when there were no signs of damage to her coat. Her arm was stretched outwards, pointing towards something that had been behind them, and suddenly things made a little more sense.

A Burning Beetle was charging towards them, its purple Arcana mask making for a painful addition to its already threatening red and black horn. He'd almost been gored by one them before--well, saying almost was being too kind--and still remembered just how much pain they could put a man in. "Teddie, what the hell is that thing?" Yosuke shouted, already holding his knives defensively. It was weird, hearing everyone around him panic about a Shadow that they hadn't seen before, save for him.

The Phantom Mage hovering behind it became more visible the closer the two Shadows got. They were the lesser threat here, but it was something that Izanagi could deal with. His body nudged backwards as he summoned his Persona, and mimicked the motions he made as he shot the Mage full of Zio. The sheer strength of the spell, coupled with its natural weakness to electricity, brought the metal and cloth hunk to its knees before turning into nondescript piles of mush that disappeared.

A slight wind whipped past him as Yosuke got to work on whittling the other Shadow down, hitting him with a gust of Garu. A fireball flew by, enveloping the oversized insect with flame and embers, though they quickly went out and revealed the monster to be still standing. "Satonaka, hit it with some ice!"

His command took precedent over all else the second she heard him and registered what he'd said in her mind, and Tomoe had been summoned in a second. The way that Chie held herself told him that she wanted to rush in and fight it face to face with Tomoe, though he knew it wouldn't work well against this particular Shadow. It was an opportunity for something to go wrong, too, and the less he had of those the better. Only when the ball of ice struck the Shadow did it fall down, and it remained motionless until its legs and body turned into a large pool of black goo that quickly disappeared. Left in the wake of the two Shadows were an odd assortment of items; a horn, some cloth, and a few smaller trinkets, baubles, and materials that someone in the shopping district would buy from him.

Their venture into the TV continued for a while longer that day, until the pack that he used for items was filled to the brim with various goods, materials, and accessories. He'd considered going back and forth between the sixth and seventh floors of the castle one more time, but the look of exhaustion he got from Chie was more than enough to call that off. "Do we have to go through all the other floors?" Yukiko asked, and he shook his head as he pulled out a Goho-M.

The four others huddled around him as he held it up, and a bright light consumed them, before placing them outside the entrance to the castle. "You all did good," he said simply, earning a smile of varying intensity from the others. Yu stuffed his sword and bag sandwiched between one arm and his chest, pinning them to his side whilst allowing his hand a warm reprieve in his coat pocket.

"Sensei!" Teddie shouted, suddenly in front of him. "Can I have another soda?"

Oh, not this again. Yu shook his head, holding his bag tighter lest the bear get any ideas about pinching a can out of his bag. "Not until we get back, Teddie."

His promise of a soda was enough to placate them until they were back at the backlot, and the others started to take off their jackets and coats, setting them down in a pile next to their weapons, items, and equipment. Yu gently set his sword down on the ground, then reached into his bag to hand a can of soda off to Teddie. As before, Teddie opened up his mouth then practically launched the can of soda into it, closing his lips--did he have lips?-- with a sickening crunch of metal, like it had just been punctured and crushed all at once. When he saw the wide smile on the bear's face, Yu couldn't help but smile back. Hopefully he wouldn't try to continue that habit when he got a human body...

\---

The soreness from fighting so much became oh-so-apparent the second he left Junes, making his bag feel like it weighed half a tonne. He did his best not to drag his feet through town, and slowly made his way to Daidara. Thankfully, the shop was still open despite how late in the evening it was, and Yu walked in to find him hammering away at something on the forge in the back. "Ah, Narukami-kun, was it?" Yu nodded, placing his bag down on the counter and opening it up.

Daidara-sensei walked over as he started to pull various items and materials out of his satchel, setting most everything he'd gotten from the Shadows down on the table. "Really got a lot for me today, huh?" He picked up the black horn, holding it up to the light as he inspected it. "Don't know where you get all this, but it's some real quality stuff. Hmm..." The old man hummed to himself as he thought about how he could use the horn in his work. When he disappeared without a further word, Yu continued to unload his bag until all he had left were a few items that he could get a better price at Shiroku.

After a while of waiting, Daidara-sensei came back holding a pair of shiny metal boots that gleamed in the light of the forge. Chie would certainly like those. Once they'd been set on one of the armour shelves, he started to sort through all that Yu had for him. "How's ¥37,000 sound for all of it?"

Yu walked out of the store with ¥41,071 in his wallet and a whole lot less in his bag. Selling everything else at Shiroku had brought him up to a total of ¥48,058, which was more than enough for most everything he needed at the moment. Some more medicine and Goho-M charms left him more than well prepared for another trip into the TV, though it would be a short while before they did so.

He'd have liked to go shopping for food, but it was already late enough and he suspected that Dojima would have a few choice words for him if he waited any longer. His transparent white umbrella was hard to see by the time he got back, and he was greeted by his favourite words as he walked into the house. "Welcome back, big bro!"

Nanako's smile, as always, was infectious. He'd have liked to talk to her, or Dojima even if he was home, but with how tired he was, he doubted that he would be good company. After a quick shower, he bid her goodnight and threw himself onto his futon.

The sound of rain had continued all throughout the night and into the next morning, leaving the start of Shōwa Day shrouded in rain. Yu groaned as he sat up, looking outside through his windows. As much as he'd have liked to spend the day inside the TV, the others were probably all worn out from the day prior. After getting out of bed and changing into something a little warmer, he sat down at his desk to work through his homework.

Math, as always, was boring. There was no sense of difficulty to keep him intrigued, and neither were there any unforeseen complications. Just memories of solutions to sort through and problems to finish. History was easy enough, though, especially considering it they'd been found before, as well as the fact that the few opinions he had to give were already well researched. Geography was simple enough as well; the assignment for it had been just a basic rundown of the continents as well as each of Japan's prefectures.

It was hardly later than noon when he was finally done, and he groaned out of boredom and exhaustion. Most of the dates on the calendar were crossed out, with the only two unmarked spots on the calendar being the 29th, today, and the 30th, tomorrow. Sitting still was not his forte, he grumbled to himself, as he walked towards his door and picked up his umbrella. There was still enough time to head to Junes, after all.

Unfortunately, the gloomy and vacant streets of Inaba left his pants to get damp and his mind to wander. Yukiko had recovered enough to join them for a trip into the TV before the fog had set in, and the only way that anything could go wrong was if she decided to try going into the TV herself...

"Don't go into the TV without everyone else," he'd typed out, and was about to hit send before realising that he didn't have Yukiko's number. Yu sighed, shaking his head at how inconveniencing it was to know and remember things that you logically shouldn't. "Tell Amagi not to go into the TV on her own." He'd punched the words in faster this time, and sent the text off to Chie before putting his phone back in his pocket.

It wasn't long until his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out again. All that Chie had said in response was a simple "gotcha", and that was that. Where would she have gone anyways, if she tried to go into the TV World on her own? There was a large TV at the inn's lobby, which probably would have been the easiest way for her to get in. But that raised the question of where in the TV World would she land. It was an interesting question, and one that applied to all of them. If he had been pulled all the way into his TV on that first night, so many months ago, where would he have landed?

The question stuck with him all the way to Junes, and instead of heading for the grocery aisle like he'd planned to, he started towards the TV for the umpteenth time in his life. In a small town like Inaba, most people had a TV that was good enough for them, which left the department vacant more often than not. Yosuke had once said that they only kept it because someone higher up on the chain of Junes management had told them to, but it suited Yu and the rest of the team just fine.

He could picture everyone next to him, as he stood in front of the TV watching his own reflection. Rise, stood just behind him and looking like she wanted to cling to his arm. Naoto, a few feet away and eyeing the television screen with an almost interrogative expression. Like always, Kanji would have maintained his distance from everyone, looking like he didn't know what to do with himself. Damnit, he thought, pulling his arms into him. He couldn't let them leave, not this time.

\---

Yu hadn't expected to land on top of the stack of TVs, but land he did. "Sensei?" Teddie's voice was the first thing he heard when he finally came to his senses, followed by the slightly sharp feeling of pain after having been bluntly stabbed by the TV antenna. "What are you doing here? And up there?"

After a brief moment of figuring out how to actually get off of the TV set, he slid off and onto solid ground. "I wanted to see what would happen if I came in through the next TV over. I guess not much?" He shrugged; the experiment had only given him more questions to think about, such as how far away would he be if he went through his own personal TV, as well as whether he'd drop to his death, like he might have if this TV had dropped him off the side of the backlot.

But if he used Izanagi- "Sensei!" Crap, he zoned out again. "What happened to your promise that you wouldn't come in without the others!" Yu blinked at him, then blinked again.

He was all worked up about that?

"I think that was more about fighting Shadows without everyone," he said, crossing his arms.

The pout and frown that he got from Teddie told him that the bear wasn't quite convinced. "Sensei! You still broke it! A promise is a promise, and they are sacred!" Well, he had him there. "What do you have to say to that?"

He stared at him blankly for a few seconds, thinking about how he could answer. "Well... science?" The way that Teddie's face pinched together slightly and locked up told him it wasn't the correct answer. It had indeed been the main reason for coming here, but seeing Teddie again was always nice, he told himself just now. "And, I thought you might have been lonely."

When Teddie started growling and moving his hands 'delicately', he figured that now was as good a time as any to crawl back through the TV sets behind him.


	15. Preparation

There was a slight pinch in his temple from the headache he'd accumulated in the TV, but aside from that he'd escaped unharmed. Yu stood in the TV aisle, in front of the usual TV now. Ah, right; he'd come to buy groceries before getting sidetracked with jumping in for just a quick minute. He made his way to the front of the store to grab a basket, then circled back over towards the grocery aisle to pick out some food.

Bento, croquettes, purin... that last one was a bit self-indulgent, but it wouldn't hurt to have everything on hand for it. Since he was already here, he might as well get an apron and a hook to hang it on, as well as some shape cutters to cook Nanako's lunches with. Then there was the matter of getting some spices and sauces that he liked to use when he cooked, even though most of them wouldn't see proper use in the kitchen until Rise moved into Inaba, and-

Before he knew it, his basket was filled past the brim and what didn't fit in or on top of it was in his other hand. "Excuse me? Do you need some help?" He looked over his shoulder at the voice's source, and found none other than Konishi looking back at him. "I'll go get another basket," she'd said, before he could say anything.

Yu sighed, relegating himself to simply stand there, precariously filled basket in hand until she got back. He'd dived into the way of fatal hits for his teammates before, used a little more force and energy into protecting them than perhaps necessary. He had risked his life in fights against massive Shadows that had spawned out of the subconscious fears, thoughts, and insecurities brought on by Kanji, Rise, Naoto, and all the others... and yet nothing could have prepared him for the task of speaking to someone who had, in a very literal sense, been dead to him for a year.

When he'd spoken to her before at the food court, he'd gotten away with repeating what he'd told the police and sticking up for Yosuke. Everything else had been under control, but this? Konishi was- "Here you go." Without thinking he reached forwards to grab the basket from her, alleviating some of the pressure that kept his apron hook in place. The plastic clattered against the vinyl tile floor, and he silently cursed himself.

Yu knelt down and sat both baskets on the floor, with the hook being the first thing to go in the empty basket. "So," she said, reminding him of her presence after a short while of moving ingredients and condiments from one container to the other. He'd almost forgotten that she was there. "You're friends with Hanamura-san, right?" Yu simply nodded, and moved a collection of spices from the top of one basket to the bottom of the other. They wouldn't roll off so easily like that. "I don't know how you can get along with him."

"Easily." Sure, Yosuke could be a little obtuse at times, especially when Kanji or Rise came into the picture. _Sure_ , there were times where he wanted to slap Yosuke, _especially_ whenever Kanji was involved, but beyond that he was easy to get along with. He sincerely hoped that he'd be able to say he was his best friend again someday, too. It didn't have to be today, or even tomorrow, just... someday. "Do you not?"

The scoff she gave him was enough for his expression to drop into something a little colder and a little more distant. "He's not so bad, but he always wants to talk to me. It's like he thinks I don't have better things to do." Yu was glad that his face was out of sight, for he was certain that he was frowning now. "At least I don't have to worry about being too nice him anymore."

"Why is that?" He wasn't sure why he asked, or why he was even humouring her in the first place. As it stood, the only thing that kept him from moving to a different part of the store was the fact that something would probably fall out of his baskets and onto the ground before he could get a good amount of distance from her.

"Today's my last day here." Yosuke had said something about that, hadn't he? He'd told him she put her two-week notice in the day that he was in the hospital, if he recalled correctly. He remembered feeling some degree of sympathy for him back then, despite what they'd heard in the liquor store a year ago. Now, there was nothing but the feeling that Yosuke would have been better off without her.

Focusing on moving the contents of his baskets was much nicer than thinking about what he could say to her, as were the memories of each item that he'd bought before. The same nori cutters he used to punch out faces for the bentos he made for Nanako. A small container of spice that he realised had to be replaced after cooking omelettes with Rise. A larger bottle of sauce... with much the same story. It was a wonder how much she thought was acceptable to use, as was the fact that Konishi was still stood there in front of him. "Do you need something?" he asked, still yet to look up at her.

He chuckled as the memory of working at Junes with Chie and Teddie came to him. Granted, the apron was on the wrong person this time. "Just wasting my time." Of all the things to expect from someone on the last day of the job they hated, he supposed that wasting time should have been the first thing on his list of expected answers.

"Good luck with that," he said as he dropped a pot of seasoning into the basket, evening them out to an acceptable degree. With the apron still tucked under his arm, he stood up, gave her a curt nod, then walked away. If anything, Konishi being alive meant there were fewer problems for him to worry about. Naoki... He didn't know him too well, but it didn't stop him from feeling happy that he and his family wouldn't have to go through everything. Konishi might have been a nice person beyond what he'd seen, but her opinion on Yosuke was enough for him to know he wasn't interested in hanging out with her.

After all, best friends stuck up for best friends.

The rest of his trip to Junes went by fairly quickly, with a few more various ingredients falling into his baskets on his way through the grocery aisles. All of the knives at home were good enough to use, having gone without use for too long for them to have been dulled. That was perhaps for the best, he thought, when the clerk gave him the ¥28,024 bill. Suddenly he was reminded of how much money he'd spent on letting Rise cook, though in his defence he was never looking when she snuck a hand into his spice cabinet and unscrewed the lid off of whatever she'd grabbed.

Yu let out a quick sigh as his lips broke out into a slight smile. He may have just spent two-thirds of his money on food, but the smile he'd get from Nanako would be priceless. Dojima would probably appreciate the food too, provided he actually found time to eat it. He pulled out his wallet and fished out the more than twenty-eight thousand yen to pay for the contents of his basket. It was an extra ¥600 for the plastic bags, which thankfully fit everything he'd bought.

It wasn't until he was stood in the Junes lobby that he realised it was raining outside, and quite heavily so. His sigh was far heavier than the last one, and he looked around as if he might spot his salvation amongst the crowd of people looking for a respite from the rain. A few of the faces, he recognised; Otake-san, the man whose garden he helped tend to every once in a while. Yanagi-san was there too, and he chuckled at the memory of how shocked he'd been when he brought Kanji along to help him with his roof. Next to him was... oh. Did Adachi have a car?

His plastic bags jostled around as he walked over, though the young detective continued to look out the window, unaware of his presence. "Adachi-san, do you have a car?" Although he straightened himself out after almost jumping out of shock, he still looked out of place in the suit he wore.

"Who- Ah, ahahaa... a car?" Adachi looked down at the bags of groceries in his hands and chuckled. "Sorry, don't have one. Forgot about the rain?" Yu nodded, looking at the almost torrential downpour outside. It was only a couple hours afternoon, and it was already getting misty. Well, if Adachi didn't have a car, he didn't have a car. For the second time on his trip to Junes he knelt down, setting each of his bags down on the floor. Adachi silently watched as he started to tie each of the plastic bags shut, handle threading through handle. "Just gonna walk?"

Yu nodded as he tied off the last one. "Yeah." He threaded his arm through the bags, making sure that each of the bags were securely hung from his arm. It wasn't until he was halfway out of the door when Adachi called his name, and he looked back.

"Aha... I just remembered I have to take something to Dojima-san. Why don't I carry one of these for you?" He had no objections, and slid one of the bags down to his wrist to let Adachi take it from him. Wind was one of his biggest weaknesses, but goofy smiles were almost just as high up there. They always had a disarming effect on him, even when they weren't coming from Yosuke.

Adachi had an umbrella of his own, and he fiddled with the handle for a few seconds to open it up before following him out of the door. The lobby's exterior overhang kept them dry for a total of about five seconds, and then Yu's feet were becoming damp and Adachi was grumbling about his suit. "It's really raining hard, huh? All this rain's put a damper on our investigation, especially since all the evidence is washed out by the time we realise it was there..."

Ah, leave it to Adachi to spill more information. "It must be rough." The police officer merely shrugged, seemingly unaware of the fact that his mouth was running off again.

"Well, there hasn't been much since... ah, yours." As nervous and awkward as always, he chuckled and looked away. "Not that we aren't finding anything, of course! Aha..." Yu smiled and shook his head as Adachi finally realised who he was talking to.

The limit to Adachi's ineptitude was there, but it certainly took some effort to find.

"Do you have enough money for the bus?" They were getting close to the Junes stop now, and although he didn't take it often he made exceptions for poor weather.

Adachi shook his head. "Sorry, no." He sounded equal parts ashamed and annoyed by the fact. Yu led them over to the bus stop anyways, and pulled out enough money for a pair of tickets. "Are... are you really paying for me?" Now he sounded more confused than anything, though he picked up hints of amusement and shock as well.

It was somewhat surprising to hear that a police officer--one that even wore a suit every time he saw him--was short enough on money that he couldn't afford a bus ticket, but he said nothing of it. "Of course."

A few minutes of silence between the two of them passed. Rain fell all around them as they waited for the bus to arrive, only moving from their seats on the bench when it pulled up. Yu handed the money off to the bus driver, then sat next to Adachi. The detective let out a long, tired sigh as he looked out the window. "So, tired of this town yet?"

Yu quickly shook his head. "No." Inaba may have been a town where you had to make your own fun, but it didn't stop him from having more fun than he'd ever had before. And he'd almost left it-

"Well, you'll find out soon enough... This town really is dead. My first assignment was getting a cat out of a tree. A cat! And they didn't even let me bill the cost of cleaning my suit to the station..." Adachi groaned and shook his head, though Yu had to stop a smile from spreading across his face. If anything, he was grateful for being pulled out of his thoughts. "The second something sounds exciting, all of a sudden I'm kicked off of it. Dead body shows up, and I'm taking you to the station. A train accident happens on its way here, and we're told to leave it alone by the higher-ups..."

Adachi always had a penchant for dropping hints about the case... was the train related now? "With, ah... everything going on, we can't kick back, you know?" Yu bit back a smirk at his choice of words, "Not until it's solved. The higher-ups don't know what to do, either. Everyone's changing procedure on the fly, and even Dojima-san's being pressured for more- Ahaha, I hope I'm not making you nervous..." The detective scratched the top of his head nervously, looking away as he realised himself.

"Don't worry."

"Aha, right... Oh, this is the stop, isn't it?" The bus had stopped at the end of the central shopping district, by Daidara. Adachi followed him to the front of the bus, stopping just before the door to open up his umbrella. "Did the rain get worse?" he asked, looking disdainfully at everything.

Yu shook his head. "I think the bus ride just numbed you to it, Adachi-san." Adachi shrugged and groaned, and followed behind as Yu led him down the street. "Do you know if Dojima's home today?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Well, that was good. He'd be able to cook him dinner as well, unless Nanako already bought food. It was raining, so she probably had, which meant he'd have to wait until tomorrow to cook dinner. Dojima probably wouldn't have tomorrow night off either, and so- "Ahh... Narukami?" He urged Adachi on with a small and questioning hum as he looked back. "I think I left the report back at home." Adachi chuckled nervously and looked away, hiding the other half of his awkward grin.

"Oh. I can take the other bag now, if you'd like." Adachi nodded, and held out his hand to let him take the bag off. He flashed a smile at the olde3r man in thanks, and had just turned around when he felt a weak burst of warmth in his chest. The Bond of the Jester had just formed, and although it was noticeably weaker than all the rest, its existence was far more perplexing. "I'll... see you later, Adachi-san."

The feeling had already faded when he started on his way down the street again, a testament to its weakness. How many other people could he form bonds with like this? Although it was impossible to answer, the question still tugged at the back of his mind.

He was half soaked by the time he got home, though it seemed to be of little concern to Nanako as she welcomed him back. Dojima gave him a brief smile, then raised an eyebrow at the bags on his arm. "Buy something at Junes?"

Nanako glanced over towards her father, then at Yu. "You went to Junes?!"

"I did." Keeping the smile off of his face was a futile effort, and there was no effort made to do so as he started to untie the bags. Dojima followed Nanako as she hurried over to watch him unbag the groceries, kneeling on the chair to get a better look. "Got food for dinner and lunches."

"Yay!" Nanako clapped her hands at the news, her eyes focusing on each package of food as he pulled them out. He ignored the way Dojima's hand crunched up at the mention of lunches, knowing Nanako wouldn't take kindly to the words he had for the man.

He settled for telling Dojima to open the fridge with a look and a quick flick of his head, holding some of the fresh meat in his hands as he followed behind him. He put them just below the packaged food that Nanako had bought for dinner, then started to put everything else inside. "You know, you didn't have to buy all of this," Dojima said, looking at the selection of spices and other produce he'd bought with an almost grim expression that told him he was dreading what he'd have to say. He'd seen it many times before.

"I don't mind. I like cooking, anyways." Now that all of the perishables were in the fridge, he turned his attention towards sorting through the cupboard he used for spices. There were already two bottles of cooking sake and mirin inside, which he pushed to the back as he started to organise all of his spices and seasonings. All of the herbs, seasonings, and more mild spices went in front, with the stronger spices and sauces going in the back to keep them out of Rise's sight. After affixing the hook to the side of the wall in front of the fridge and hanging up his new apron, he shrugged off his jacket and headed upstairs to sleep off his lingering exhaustion from the day before.

There was a knock on the door as he woke up. "Nanako's heating dinner for us," Dojima said through the doorway,

Nanako had pulled out the boxes of takeout by the time he made it down the stairs, the first of them already being heated in the microwave. He let his mouth stretch open as he yawned into the ball of his hand, catching Dojima's notice. "Want a cup of coffee? There's only instant, but we've got some in the kitchen." The man gestured towards the coffee machine, and Yu nodded.

"Just black, please."

Dojima chuckled as he turned around to pull out a mug and pot. "After my own tastes, huh? Go have a seat, I'll bring it over when it's done." He sat down at the table with Nanako as they both waited for the food to finish cooking and for Dojima to finish the coffee. There wasn't anything he needed to do tonight, but being able to make it through dinner was always a plus.

The stove's burners clicked on as Dojima put the pot of water on to boil, though he kept his attention towards the pot's lid. "Hey, Nanako. What do you want to get at Junes?"

Her smile and exclamation only came after a brief moment of thought. "Some new stuffed animals!" If he had one weakness beyond wind inside of the TV, it was her smile. "And maybe some books to go with them!"

"Now, now, let's not get too greedy." The mirth in his voice was a pleasant callback to what they'd been like before, in September and October, but it didn't help when he saw the scar on his forehead disappear as he blinked. "He's already done enough as it is, filling our fridge like he did."

He did his best to smile politely at Dojima and Nanako. "It isn't any trouble, don't worry. I've got plenty of money." Dojima's eyebrow raised as he chuckled.

"Already found work? Guess you take after Kioko and Kenjiro, huh?" For a moment he looked up at Dojima, trying to place a face to those names. He blinked when he finally realised who they were.

They were his parents.

"Y-Yeah, I guess." Even when he was leaving Inaba he'd hardly given them thought, the mistakes and misfortune they'd been met with at the forefront of his mind. Not once had he thought about where he was going, only what he was leaving behind.

"Dinner's ready!" Nanako's voice was what managed to break his chain of thought, and he worked to quickly hold the tears in with a few blinks and a somewhat forced smile. He and Dojima helped take some of the boxes of food over to the table in the living room, where they sat down. The TV clicked on with a small burst of static, turning on to the news.

The weather, as he'd expected it to be, was going to continue into the next night when a heavy fog would set in. Even though it had been reheated, the dinner was still tasty enough to enjoy. Enough for him to reminisce about the nights they enjoyed dinner together as a family, talking and joking despite the murders going on around them.

Acting more like a family than he and his parents ever had.

His face settled into its usual serious stare. They hadn't ever sent him anything; no emails, no letters, no calls. It was even worse this time, considering he'd been the victim of a kidnapping and attempted murder and they were still yet to reach out to him. Would they ever? Would they have even been there when he got back? "Big bro?"

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as Nanako spoke. "Yes?"

"Are you and dad fighting? You both look unhappy." He glanced at Dojima, who was just as shocked at the girl's observation as he had been, then shook his head.

"Sorry Nanako, I'm just thinking about some things." Dojima nodded and gave her a grunt of affirmation, doing his best to put up a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," the man said. "We aren't mad at each other." He nodded when Dojima looked at him for confirmation, though he had to wonder who the gesture benefited most. "Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold, Nanako."

Dinner was silent after that aside from the quiet crunching of their food, the rain filling the void of silence between them. He was the first to excuse himself from the table, taking his dishes over to the kitchen to clean them under hot water and soap. Nanako finished just a couple of minutes after him, and Dojima shortly after her.

It wasn't long before the dishes were clean and Nanako went to bed, Dojima disappearing for a few minutes to put her to sleep. "Hey, Yu." He was sat at the table when the older man came back into the living room, and turned on his cushion slightly to watch him settle into the couch. "I've put this off as much as I can, so..." He grimaced as he tried to find the right words. "Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

Yu shook his head. Not having any leads must hurt as letting everything happen, especially for Dojima. "Sorry, but I don't." Dojima took in a deep breath before exhaling in a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Don't worry, kid. I'm just trying to get this case solved so we can all sleep well at night." He bit back any comments on how his work ethic was effecting Nanako, and contented himself with standing up to leave. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't... don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Yes, uncle."

It was a little late for that. "Hey, wait." He was halfway up the stairs when he looked down at Dojima, who stood at the bottom of the steps. "Thanks... for the food."

"No problem." It wasn't until he was at the door when the Bond of the Hierophant struck him, a pleasant warmth overtaking his heart. Even though it was always a pleasant feeling, he couldn't help but yearn for the greater connections he'd had before. With Yosuke, Nanako, Chie, and all the others, before- "No, no," he said to himself. He threw himself into his futon before he could think anymore about December, desperately wishing he had anything beyond the pillow in his hands to keep him company.


	16. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another one. - Lotus Juice

"Hey, Narukami-kun!" He turned around and saw Chie and Yukiko walking up to him, their umbrellas side-by-side as they endured the rain on their way to school. 

Thee two flashed him a smile as they grew closer, Chie's enthusiastic and Yukiko's polite. "Good morning, you two." 

"Good morning," Yukiko replied, shifting her grip on the umbrella she held as she looked out at the school gates up ahead. "It's unfortunate that this rain won't last until nightfall."

"Would someone even show up on the Midnight Channel tonight?" Chie asked, looking at him and Yukiko. "'Cause, it's all been the news and national celebrities lately."

He shrugged. Everyone had always shown up on the Midnight Channel after their appearance on television, but they had been relative rarities in Inaba broadcasts. Aside from the weather and the usual national entertainment shows, all that was on television was news about what was going on in the country, the government, and local news about cats and the like. But when interesting things were happening to Inaba, they always made sure to cover it. Kanji, Naoto, and Rise had been the talk of the town for a few days after their spot on the news, though the latter had understandably been the talk of the town for far longer. "There might've been someone," he said. "Want to know more about the weather lady?" 

Chie snickered for a second, then shrugged. "Dunno. What makes people show up on the Midnight Channel, anyways?"

"Well... I guess it's just interesting people on TV? There was Yamano and her affair, then there was me, lastly followed by Amagi-san's interview." Chie shook her head at the memory of the pervy spotlight that her best friend had gotten on TV that night. "We'll just have to wait and see." 

"Yeah, I guess. Oh crap, we gotta get to class!" Without any further warning, she bolted down the street towards the school's gates, leaving him and Yukiko to simply shrug at each other before continuing on under their umbrellas.

Neither of the two were in much of a rush after a brief check of their watches indicated they had more than enough time to leisurely walk to school, though he had to wonder what had compelled Chie to run so suddenly. "Is she nervous about something?" he asked. She'd never been the best with time, though most of the times she was unaware of the fact until she got there.

Yukiko thought for a moment as they passed the gates into school. "No... I think Chie just thought we were late." She giggled, and he let the topic drop with a small hum as they passed through the doors into the locker bay. 

It wasn't long after he'd sat down that Morooka walked into the room, commanding everyone's attention through fear of setting off another one of his outbursts. He jotted down the rough memory-blurred quote from Pythagoras as Morooka started to write the philosopher's name down on the board. It was on the upcoming midterms, after all, and if none of them wrote it down then it'd help to have the quote on hand. 

The concept of time had slipt through his grasp by the time class finally ended, pulling a long sigh from his chest. "Hey, Yukiko?" His eyes flicked over towards Chie as she spoke, listening as he pushed everything into his bag. "Can you help me study for the tests next week?" The raven-haired girl nodded, filing away her belongings as Yosuke butted into their conversation.

"Oh, hey, weren't we going to do a group study thing?" The two girls looked over at him, and he continued. "Narukami mentioned it when we went out with Nanako-chan, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Chie exclaimed, eagerly turning back to her best friend. "Wanna study with them, Yukiko?" They all stood as Yukiko nodded again, grabbing their bags and starting towards the doors that led out of the classroom. In the hallway, he could almost taste everyone's stress from the midterms looming over them, a week left for everyone to study and prepare themselves. "Man... I'm not looking forwards to the English sections of the test."

"Me neither," said Yosuke as he led everyone into the library. "Hey Narukami, you're good at English, right? Don't you do translations?" He nodded in response. "Wanna help me out?"

His attention was pulled over to Chie as she spoke up. "Hey, help me too!" 

"Tsk... freeloader." Yu couldn't help but chuckle, and he walked over towards the library's rather pitiful section on English to pull out a couple of books that would help the pair. Yosuke's main problem was that he had an issue with coming up with words, and although Chie was slightly better than him, her sentence structure needed work more often than not. 

Despite the quiet environment of the library they were in, Chie and Yosuke were quick to start another bickering argument. "Hey, I'm using that!" the latter said, half-shouting as Chie grabbed one of the books in front of him.

Yu cleared his throat, though his attempt to quiet them went unnoticed. "So? I need it, so just wait," Chie said as she flipped through the pages in search of a word. He glanced over at Yukiko and saw that she was somewhat anxiously looking around the library, probably to see if there was anyone who'd noticed their outburst. Of course, there had. 

"Come on, I'll lose my place!" Yosuke tried to grab the book back from the girl, to no avail. More were looking now, and he figured it wouldn't be long before someone came over to chide them for their outburst.

"Hey, you two," he quietly barked, pulling the two of them back to their senses. "Remember, we're in a library. Save the fighting until after we finish." The other two quickly muttered their apologies, with Chie handing the English book back to Yosuke before burying her nose in her notebooks. 

The next interruption to their study session came when Yosuke let out a heavy sigh, dramatically dropped his notebook onto the table, and pushed himself back into his chair. "Alright," he half exclaimed, "I need a break from this." Hardly a second later his Music Technica headphones were on his head and he reached into his uniform jacket to click on his music. 

Chie glanced at Yosuke, then turned her notebook around and pushed it towards Yu. "Can you check this for me?" she asked quietly, a small nervous grin on her face. After the second mistake he'd seen in her work, he grabbed his pencil and started to annotate the entire page's worth of greetings and introductory sentences. "Narukami-kun... you're writing a lot, there..." His lips turned upwards at their corners in a smile at her comment, and he simply nodded as he continued. 

Soon after he'd handed the paper back to Chie, Yosuke quickly started to write down on a piece of paper in the midst of his notes, turning it around to show off to Yu. "Proud of me, partner?"

It took Yosuke no more than six seconds to pull the paper back after he started to annotate his work as well, crossing through several words in just the first sentence and replacing them with options that would have worked well. "Jeez, okay, I get it..." His work after that was much slower, accompanied by far more looks at the books' content. Meanwhile, he and Yukiko mostly busied themselves with their own notes, occasionally cross-referencing their notes with the others' when they were dissatisfied with what they had written down. 

When the four were finally shooed out of the library by the school faculty, he felt that he'd have been confident about the tests even if he hadn't been so before they started. "Man, my head hurts after all of that studying... Come on Yukiko, let's walk home together." The dark-haired girl nodded, and soon it was just Yu and Yosuke in the school halls.

"Hey." He turned towards Yosuke as he started to say something, though the brunet hesitated for a couple of seconds before saying anything else. "Thanks for today, man. I feel like I might have a chance at all of the English tests."

Yu nodded. "Don't worry about it." His shoe locker swung open as he grabbed his pair of shoes, slipping out of his school shoes and putting on his usual pair. "Doing anything for Golden Week, partner?"

"No, not really. Thinking of going anywhere for it?" He shook his head for a second, then paused.

Yu shrugged. "We're supposed to go for a family outing, but I don't think my uncle will be able to make it." Yosuke walked over towards his own locker, pulling out his usual white sneakers and putting them on.

The two of them were quiet for a moment as they walked out of the school, their umbrellas saving them from the bulk of the light storm in the skies. "You know," Yosuke said as they started down the hill, "if your uncle has to cancel, do you want to hang out? Could see if Satonaka and Amagi-san are free, too."

Yu nodded, turning towards his best friend with a smile. "Sure thing, partner." Idle small talk filled the space between them as they continued the rest of their shared trip home along the river, stopping only once they came to the intersection where they parted ways. After a quick farewell, he left and started down the street bound for home.

He let the sound of rain fill his thoughts as he continued down the road, sticking to the side to allow bicyclists easy passage. There weren't many on rainy days, but there were still a few to appreciate the gesture. At least, according to Kanji, they did. Yosuke had never said anything about it, and he'd always forgotten to ask about it. Yu shrugged as the largely inconsequential thoughts ran through his mind, which quickly turned into a blank void filled simply by the rain.

"Welcome home, big bro! Are you going to make lunches?" Nanako's enquiry as he walked through the front door, stopping only to take his shoes off and store his umbrella, and smiling as he made his way further into the building.

With a nod, he opened up the fridge to take out the food he'd bought the other day. "Mhm," he hummed, setting the produce and meats on the counter. Uncle or no uncle, they'd be going on a trip and dining well if he had anything to say about it. "Do you want to help?"

"Yeah!" Nanako exclaimed, quickly getting up from her seat at the table and walking into the kitchen. After she had dutifully washed her hands with soap and water, he did the same, taking the opportunity to glance over at the news. The map of the current storm was only visible long enough for a cursory glance, and afterwards turned into a report on the latest local happenings in Inaba. 

They quickly set into a rhythm after that, with Nanako helping to prepare some of the vegetables he'd gotten by unpackaging and cleaning them so he could start to prepare the few bento boxes that they had in the cupboard. "What now?" Nanako asked, looking up at him expectantly. All of the produce was ready now, and he smiled before showing her how to load the boxes without the food moving around too much. "You're so good at this!" she exclaimed.

"I can teach you how to be this good, too." The two of them shared a smile, only turning away from each other when the little girl broke into a string of giggles. The next step was to prepare the rolls for the bento, and he started with getting the sushi rice ready. Nanako watched with a slight smile on her face as he pulled out everything he needed, setting the bowls and rice cooker on the counter. "Do we have kombu dashi, Nanako?" She nodded and walked over to one of the cupboards pulling out a small packet of the kelp and handing it to him. "Thanks," he said, and poured out a pot of water to prepare the kelp in and get it ready for use in the rice cooker.

They went through a similar process for all of the other ingredients, with Nanako helping out wherever she could. After a while, however, there wasn't much else for her to do, and she sat down with a juice box to watch the evening news. "An Inaba Credit Union ATM to the north of town was destroyed today by an earthmover," the reporter said, "and all cash inside was stolen." Nanako frowned at the news, and as he looked at the time he saw it had gotten to be rather late. "The vehicle, which was abandoned at the scene, had been reported stolen by a local contractor. Since the culprit was able to act quickly before the security guards arrived on the scene..." 

He tuned out the rest of the news report, looking over at Nanako as she looked down at her juice with a glum expression. Should he tell her about going to Junes with the others? No... she might construe that as Dojima telling him about not being able to make it before her. "Dad's late..." Suddenly the phone rang, and she pushed herself off of her cushion and walked over towards the phone. "Hello, Dad? Yeah, I'm okay." Yu stared at the three boxes of nearly finished bento, which only needed to cool down before being sealed and going into the fridge. "Yeah... Yeah, okay."

Nanako walked over to him, handing him the phone as she looked away. "Dad said to give you the phone... he can't take those days off." He felt his face twist with pity, then put the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" Dojima asked, and he hummed to let him know he was there. "Sorry, but I'm going to be late tonight. Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep. And about that time off on the 4th and the 5th... one of the younger guys got sick, and, well, that case he's handling, we can't just let it sit... Looks like I'm the only one who can take over for him." He looked over at the boxes of bento.

"There's a box of bento in the fridge when you get home," he said, drawing a hum from Dojima.

"Thanks, and... sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden, but, uh... How's Nanako holding up? Would you mind comforting her for me? ...Thanks. See you." Yu let out a sigh as he heard the call click off... It almost hurt, seeing Dojima unsure of what to do with his own daughter like this.

Nanako had run off to her bedroom, he deduced after a quick look around the now empty kitchen. Seeing that the cooked parts of the bento had cooled down, he placed a lid on each one and stacked them together in the fridge before walking over to his sister's room. "Nanako?" he asked. "Do you want to go to Junes with Satonaka-san, Hanamura-san, and me tomorrow?" It was odd how the last name felt almost foreign on his tongue now; he usually dropped the honourific or used partner instead.

"...Can I?" she responded, her voice quiet from choking back tears and muffled by the door.

"Of course."

There was a short while where she said nothing, though eventually, he made out her voice. "...Thanks, big bro." Content that things were now better, he gave her door a light knock before heading up the stairs into his own room. It was a quiet night tonight... perfect for some translating. He had just sat down to crack open some of the printed articles and papers he had been sent when a sudden blossoming of warmth overtook his chest, realising the Bond of Justice had just formed. He smiled; the special way it resonated in his heart had always warmed him both in mind and soul, and now it was finally back with him. Translating went easy that night, and sleep came without issue.

He woke to the distant sounds of cars, the nearby chirps of birds muffled by his window, and the even closer ringtone of his phone. Realising someone was calling him, he pushed himself up from his futon and grabbed for his phone. "Yo... Did your uncle end up cancelling?"

"Yeah." He pulled his phone away from his face to check the time, and saw that it was still early enough in the morning. "Want to call the others and tell them to meet up at Junes? I'll bring Nanako."

"Sure thing, partner. See you there." With that, the call clicked off, and he swung his legs out from his futon and got to his feet. He crossed off the second of May as he got dressed, leaving the day's date as the third; Constitution Day, and the first day of Golden Week. 

Nanako was sat at the table in the leaving room, her lips turning with a smile as he walked down the stairs. "Are we going to Junes?" she asked excitedly. 

"Of course. With all of the others, too." There was a brief flicker of sadness in his heart as he realised that statement was true despite there being only three others. "Have you thought about what you want to get at Junes?"

The girl nodded as he started to serve some of what she'd cooked onto a plate. "More books! I finished the one that you gave me!" Yu chuckled, glad that his gift hadn't gone unread. "Is there a sequel?"

"We can look for one," he said, sitting down and eating his small breakfast. Once he was done, he got to work getting everything ready for their trip out. The lunches were packed away in Nanako's backpack with ice packs, sat upright so his effort of making cute faces with nori wouldn't go to waste. Dojima must have taken one of them to work, for only two of them were in there. Nanako was sat at the table between the living room and the kitchen, kicking her legs back and forth with excitement. "Ready?" he asked, once everything was good to go.

"Yeah!" 

Ten minutes later they'd arrived at Junes, courtesy of the Inaba bus service that had a good route from the house to Junes. "Yo, partner!" Yosuke was standing over at the front door to the lobby, joined by Chie and Yukiko. "Can't say I expected you to be the last one here," he said, earning a sideways glare from Chie. 

"I'm going to ignore that for Nanako-chan's sake. Let's go get steak!" Yu followed behind the energetic girl as she led them into one of the lobby's elevators, pressing in on the top button to take them to the food court on the roof. It didn't take long for them to file out into the food court, Chie leading the way over towards one of the circular tables at Junes. "Mm... I'm already hungry, so... Narukami-kun, do you want something? I'll go order us food."

He turned his back to her slightly to show her the backpack. "I made lunch for Nanako and I, don't worry."

"I didn't know you could cook," Yukiko said, now admiring the backpack that held the bento boxes. "I tried to cook something the other night, but the staff at the inn just stopped me and took over..." 

Chie laughed at that, smiling at her best friend warmly. "They're just jealous! I bet whatever you'd make would be great, Yukiko!" Although he had seen plenty of evidence to the contrary, he let the girl's compliment go uncorrected. "Although, Narukami-kun's cooking is really good... I'm almost jealous of Nanako-chan!" 

"You can have some of mine if you'd like," Nanako offered with a grin.

The brunette, however, was quick to refuse. "No, it's fine! Enjoy your big bro's cooking," she said with a snicker, then walked off with Yosuke and Yukiko to buy food. The girl had, of course, directed them over towards the food court's steak shop, eagerly ordering a couple just for her. 

They came back with three steaks and two salads in  
tow, Chie having the most food and Yukiko the least. Yosuke sat next to him, a small steak in hand as Chie pulled out a chair and sat down with Yukiko in the chair next to her. Though the girl was still smitten with the dish of steaks in front of her, he noticed Chie stealing glances at the boxes of bento. "Hey, partner... did you really make those?" Yosuke's eyes were focused on one of the nori faces that he'd made in the box too now, and he nodded.

"Why, are you jealous of Narukami-kun's cooking, Hanamura?" Yosuke quickly shook his head in response to Chie's jab, though he still focused on the box in front of Yu. 

"I just didn't expect them to be so, I don't know... cutesy?" Chie and Yukiko looked over at his and Nanako's box, the latter of whom began to giggle. "Right?"

Yu looked over at Yosuke, wondering how things would have gone if Kanji were there right now. "Is there something wrong with cute?"

"N-No," he stammered out. "I just... didn't expect it from you, you know?" Yosuke managed to let out a chuckle as he returned to his salad, eating half of it before moving on to his steak. He pushed back the sleeves of his white jacket, not wanting to accidentally brush the fabric against either of his dishes. 

Half a minute later he realised Chie was still looking at their bento boxes, though he was just glad that Nanako was still enjoying herself. "You know," the girl started, "I bet I could make something that cute."

"But would they be edible?" Yosuke offered, instinctively leaning away from Chie as she glared at him.

"Hey, what makes you think I can't cook!? Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves. Cutest dish wins!" Already, he could see Yukiko trying to stifle one of her fits. 

It seemed that Yosuke, however, was uninterested. "My, my, doth the lady protest too much?" Chie's glare turned into one of her usual pouts. "Besides, I never said I cooked. Though... I have a feeling I'd somehow win anyways."

Chie's glare returned. "What does that mean?" she said accusatorily, taking a momentary break from her food. Yosuke had no opportunity to answer before Yukiko finally burst into a fit of giggles. Yu already had a slight smile by the time that Nanako joined the older girl in giggling, and his expression only grew happier. "I'll show you!" Chie exclaimed, slapping the table with her palm. "Narukami-kun and Nanako-chan can be the judges!"

"I'll just teach you two how to make bento," Yu offered, though to no avail. He sighed and shook his head, then looked over to his right. Nanako had almost finished her bento, and he gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Want a soda?"

He left when she nodded, letting her follow behind him as he left the two to argue without him. There was a vending machine not far away, and he pulled out two ¥100 coins to slot in. "I'll get this one!" Nanako exclaimed, reaching her hand up and pushing in on the TaP Soda's button. A handful of coins fell into the change slot, and soon after he heard the banging of the soda as it fell into the receptacle. "Thanks, big bro!" Nanako giggled, holding her soda close as she beamed up at him. 

He couldn't help but return the smile when he felt his bond with her strengthen yet again. 

Chie and Yosuke were still arguing when they got back, though his arrival quickly grabbed their attention. "Hey Narukami, teach me how to cook." Yosuke's demand left little room to argue, so he nodded with a smile as he sat down. His acceptance, meanwhile, left Chie pouting and Yukiko laughing even harder. 

Yukiko was the next to speak up, after she finally finished laughing. "So, Nanako-chan, did you want to get something whilst you were here?"

The girl gave an enthusiastic nod, and took the time to explain how he'd gotten her a book a couple of weeks ago. "Shall we go look for other books?" Nanako nodded, smiling at Yukiko's suggestion before finishing the rest of her food and giving it her thanks. The others were done soon after, and soon they were making their way into Junes in search for a sequel to Nanako's story. 

"Hm... Is this the one?" Chie held one of the books out towards Nanako, replacing it when she shook her head. "Dang." Yu pulled out another book, attracted by the bright evening sky and pond illustrated on the cover. A pink alligator was sat at the edge of the water, with a small bird on top of it. Had Kanji...?

"You found it!" Nanako's voice pulled him out of his reminiscing, and he turned around to see Yukiko handing off a storybook. Looking at the cover, he spotted some similarities between the sequel's and the previous book's artwork. "Let's go to the checkout, big bro!" Everyone followed her as she led them back to the cashiers, and he couldn't help but be somewhat impressed at her confidence in knowing the way back. 

He supposed it came with the territory of being so enthusiastic about Junes, and he fished out a few bills to pay for the book as he stood in line with Nanako to purchase it. "Thanks!" She clutched the book to her chest and smiled up at him once it had been purchased, and suddenly all feelings of lightness in his wallet were eradicated.

Their trip to Junes didn't last much longer after that, and although he was tempted to say hello to Teddie, he didn't want Nanako to be left alone for too long and went without it. Bidding the others farewell, they started down the street towards the nearest bus stop, both of them content with how the day had gone. The bento boxes they'd had served as a late breakfast and an early lunch, and he wasn't hungry by the time that they returned to the house.

Whatever appetite he might've worked up was put out of his mind by setting to work on the latest material he'd received from the translation office, which went by without issue. It wasn't until there was a gentle rap on his door that he realised his hunger, when Nanako interrupted his train of thought to inform him that their takeout had arrived. Yu set his current article on the table and stood up, ready to continue after dinner.

Dojima, of course, was nowhere to be seen. Work had kept him into the evening, it seemed, and he doubted that his uncle would come home before Nanako was put to bed. On the table in the living room were a half dozen boxes of food, the faint aroma delectable and causing his mouth to water as they fueled his recent hunger. After washing his hands with Nanako, he sat down, gave his thanks, and was about to start eating when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," he said, quickly standing up before Nanako could. 

He knew that, logically, there wasn't a possibility of her being abducted or thrown in again. And, that he would've been present to stop anything from happening. Still, he couldn't help but do anything he could to decrease the chances of that happening. Yu walked over to the door and opened it up, though he was surprised to see two people wearing suits, though it was hard to see more than that with the only illumination being the light of the living room behind him. "Excuse me, but is your-" A woman spoke to him, though she cut herself off and adopted a look of shock.

The man with her, who he assumed was her partner, stepped forwards. "Hang on... Are you Narukami Yu?" 


	17. Enlistment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me, just casually driving the Plot-Mobile off of the road. Spoilers for Persona 3/Arena from now on :)
> 
> PS: This chapter is probably a mess.

Yu hadn't expected to ever ride in a limousine outside of the Velvet Room, and especially not one in Inaba itself. He was just glad he'd been able to say goodbye to Nanako before they urged him into the car; he made sure to tell her he'd be back soon, and that she ought to go to bed soon. The interior was lit by six overhead lights in the roof, as well as the faint black glow of a large monitor built into a fancy looking console. "You'll have to sign this," the woman from before said, handing him a pen and a clipboard that held a pair of papers. 

"A confidentiality agreement," he stated as he skimmed over the document, swallowing hard after reading the threat of legal action by the Kirijo Group with the cooperation of law enforcement. He glanced around the room; there were three others with him in the back, and he was able to make out more features with the better lighting. The woman from before wore a black suit more fit for a funeral than whatever sort of meeting this was... at least, he hoped it would stay that way. She had long flowing hair, coloured a dark muted red due in part to the lighting. 

The other woman in the car wore a similar suit, though her hair was a far brighter blonde, with some sort of brass-coloured hairband- no, headphones, he decided, after spotting a covering over her ears. She wore a white collared shirt with a red tie beneath her suit, and her hands were covered in white gloves that ended with gunmetal grey fingertips. Between him and the others was a man, with short white hair and the wispy beginnings of a beard on his chin. He pulled at the cuffs of his suit, shifting uncomfortably in his spot on the cushioned seats. "Alright." Yu handed the now-signed agreement to the blonde woman, who set it down on the seat beside her.

"When was the last time you rode on a train?" The red-haired woman was the first to speak now that he had signed the agreement, and he thought for a moment.

"The eleventh of April," he stated, and the three of them looked at each other for a second. "May I ask who you are...?" Ideas of what was happening were sparse, and so far nothing really made much sense. Two people affiliated with the Kirijo Group knock on his door asking for his uncle, presumably, then suddenly they refer to him by name and ask for him to get inside the limousine before handing him a legally-binding contract to keep him from speaking about the information exchanged between them. What the hell...

The two women shared a quick look before the redhead spoke. "My name is Kirijo Mitsuru, of the Kirijo Group." Mitsuru looked around again before continuing. "These two are my partners, Sanada Akihiko and Aigis."

Akihiko gave him a quick nod of greeting as Aigis retrieved another folder from one of the console's compartments. Mitsuru took the yellow paper folder and opened it up, retrieving a black and white report; he caught sight of an old picture of him, featured prominently in the corner. "Last month, on the eleventh, a train bound for Inaba was violently derailed," she read off of the paper, "killing all passengers inside. After the company's internal investigation found no cause for the accident, police were called in to help; all they could do was identify the bodies.

"Afterwards, the Kirijo Group were called in to provide assistance. We determined that it was caused by a Persona-user." Yu couldn't help but flinch in response, his attention jerking back to Mitsuru. The others were looking at him, studying him; waiting for a reaction. 

Perhaps this was how Namatame would feel, when eventually he confronted him before November, before that politician could even speak to Nanako. After all, they wouldn't just give this information to anyone. "...Do you think I'm the one responsible?" he asked, tentative and half fearful. An unpleasant feeling had settled in his gut, and he was helpless to shake it as Aigis continued to stare directly at him.

Mitsuru pulled out another piece of paper, allowing it to rest on top of the folder. "Perhaps," she said, after an uncomfortable pause. "At first we came to deliver bad news to your uncle, but after meeting you..." The woman reached over Akihiko, handing him a piece of paper. It was an autopsy report. His. "Now we must ask how your remains were found amongst the wreckage."

The feeling in his gut doubled once and then again as he processed what was happening. He swallowed hard, his hands beginning to shake with fear as he read the name of the report's subject over and over, like the illusion would reveal itself after a dozen re-readings. Family name Narukami, given name Yu. Even worse, the format was all painfully familiar; he recognised it from one of the reports Dojima had shifted through. As the thoughts ran through his head, his expression was the least of his concerns.

They knew--or at least thought--that he knew about Persona, and were familiar with the concept themselves. Would they believe him if he told them about the voice he heard on the train and finding himself a year in the past? "...Wouldn't believe me," he said, voicing his own assumed answer without realising it. What would happen if he told them? He doubted that some sort of entity would appear to punish him, but what would they think? Would they tell the others? More importantly, what would _they_ think?

"Tell us anyways," Akihiko said, his tone calm and reassuring. "We've seen our fair share of unbelievable events too, you know." Something in his voice said the man was speaking the truth, but the thoughts of possible consequences still held him back. Though... would they track down the rest of the team and inform them if he said he'd gone back a year's time? Probably not, unless they got involved with the case. And they might. He couldn't just outright lie to them, either; if this was part of an official investigation into the train accident, blatantly lying could only hurt him in the long run.

But even then, saying that he had gone back in time was an explanation he had no idea how to start. "I..." He started, then felt his voice falter as something caught in his throat. 

"We are just trying to help," Aigis said, coaxing him on. Trying to help meant they might get involved with the case, which meant meeting with the others and helping them solve Yamano's murder as fast as possible. 

And that meant no team. No friends.

The uncomfortable tightness in his stomach turned into a feeling of outright sickness, but he knew what had to be done. They couldn't know; not about him knowing as much as he did, at least. "I'd just gotten on the train when everyone disappeared, and it was foggy outside," he started. Despite the unease he felt in his gut, he willed his face to assume the impassive and largely inexpressive appearance he used to wear like a permanent mask. "I went on to the next car to find someone, but there was no one there either, so I sat down. I... I heard something say not to 'squander this opportunity' before everything turned back to normal, only the train was already moving."

Aigis looked away as he finished speaking, giving a quick nod to Mitsuru. "The train got to the station an hour early," he said, "but maybe I was the one who was early?" 

"So," Akihiko said, "some kind of teleportation and a body double, then?" It was all he could do to simply look away and try to choke down the impending pressure in his chest as the three of them combed through his story. "Come to think of it, that kind of happened to us, didn't it? When the dormitory was shut down."

Yu tried to follow along with the conversation, though all he succeeded in was realising how stifled and cramped he felt in the back of the limousine. Even if he could've gone to the Velvet Room, he doubted that he would have visited for a while after something like this. "Narukami." the red-haired woman caught his attention again, though he still felt no less sick. "How do you know about Persona?" 

He sighed, trying to shake out some of his sickness before speaking again. "The murders," he said, "or... murder and attempted murders." Aigis grabbed a laptop off of the console, typing with haste as she looked up the murders, he guessed. Ah... now he had to explain the television world. "I was the second victim, and when I woke up after being... abducted, I was in my classroom, but... everything was different? That's where I got mine." It'd be easier just to show them the TV World, but he didn't see a TV set in the car. 

The others glanced at each other, their expressions flush with concern and worry. "What was different?" Akihiko asked, gripping his knees with his hands. "Was the moon... bigger?"

Moon? Yu shook his head. "There was a heavy yellow fog, with... with shadows in the hallways." 

"Shadows?" Mitsuru asked, leaning forwards to get a better look at him; he could only imagine how uncomfortable he looked, trying not to say too much whilst hoping that they didn't get in the way. "What happened?"

The memory of his escape had mostly fogged over, but Teddie's words still stuck with him. "I managed to get out of the school, which had more floors than usual, but collapsed in the middle of the road. When I woke up, I was in a hospital after being found on a roof." 

Whatever he'd said had shaken them; Aigis was rapidly typing away on the laptop's keyboard again, her finger clacking against the keys. "Patient's breathing and vital functions were weak at the time of hospitalisation," she said, evidently reading off of another report. "No memory of previous whereabouts, even when spoken to by the police. Is this familiar, Narukami-san?"

Another wave of sickness threatened to vacate what little he had in his stomach, but he managed to keep it down and nodded. "Yeah, but... Explaining to my uncle the fact that I was thrown into a television is... hard." They'd almost gotten to the bottom of everything last time, and then it was ripped away from them by that damn hospital room. If they could have that conversation without it; without Nanako being dead, they could-

"You were thrown into a television?" Akihiko's voice possessed no small amount of incredulousness. 

Yu nodded, looking down at his hands and realising they were clenched white-knuckle tight. "With a Persona, I can pass through televisions and enter the TV World. That's what we call it, at least. It's where everything happens, kind of."

"But I've touched a television before," Akihiko said, "and I never went through it or anything." Mitsuru nodded as well, and he looked back up to face the woman. For a moment he could see the coldness in her expression, though it soon softened. "Maybe it's something to do with the location?"

She nodded again. "Perhaps it is. Do you have a TV set in your house, or...?"

Yu couldn't help but snirk at the woman's suggestion, though he quickly nodded. "I do, yes. Nanako's probably still watching it, though. And, we usually go through a specific television in Junes. We don't know what happens when you go through other televisions..."

"We?" Yu pressed his tongue between his teeth and bristled at Mitsuru's question. Though, he supposed he wouldn't have been able to keep them from knowing about the investigation team forever.

"Me and some of my friends, yeah..." The urge to vomit flared up again at the realisation of what he said, but he continued. "They weren't a part of it, and then I was thrown into the television; the police can't do anything about the case, so I started to investigate on my own. The others didn't get completely involved until after someone close to us was thrown in as well. They all have a Persona too, now." He let out a sigh after he'd finished talking, then pulled his arms into his chest and crossed them.

There was a moment of silence between them before Mitsuru looked towards the front of the car. "Kikuno, take us to Junes." He hadn't realised there was a driver in there as well; of course there would be a driver. The car's engine started up, and he felt the limousine lurch forwards as it started down the road. Yu checked his watch as the limo's lighting dimmed; Junes wouldn't be shutting the electronics department down for another hour and a half. "Can you take us there, Narukami?"

He nodded silently, then settled into the cushions of the couch. The lack of any fresh air was starting to get to him, and the awkward direction that he faced only furthered his sickness. They were getting involved, he thought, and they might- "Your Persona," Akihiko said, interrupting his train of thought. "How well can you use it?"

Yu blinked, thinking for a moment. "Well enough?" The man grunted and turned away in response to his answer, leaning forwards to open another compartment in the console. His heart skipped a beat when Akihiko pulled out a case and opened it, revealing two pistols. "A-Are those...?"

"Evokers," Mitsuru said, grabbing one from him and placing it in her pocket. "They allow one to summon their Persona at will." The limousine made a wide turn as he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you familiar with these as well?" He shook his head. 

"We don't need anything to summon them. Aside from our weapons, I guess?" He supposed he was exempt from that rule, especially now that the card didn't appear for him. Rise never had to touch the tarot card that appeared in front of her either, but it still broke in front of her whenever she joined in on their attacks when everything was downed. "A card appears, and the others hit it with their weapons. I just have to think, and my Persona comes out."

Akihiko's movement stalled, his Evoker's barrel just barely touching the rim of his pocket. "Can you summon it in the real world like that too, then?" Yu shook his head, leaving the man to hum out loud in thought. 

"Perhaps it's something to do with this 'TV World'," Mitsuru suggested, to which he could only nod in agreeance. He tried to look outside the window in an attempt to see how far away they were from Junes, but the speed of the car, when combined with the moon-lit roads, made it difficult. Even the reflection of his own face was hard to make out in the limousine's dimmed lighting, and he could only guess what he looked like. Hoping to make the trip go as quick as possible, he leaned into the cushions to try and shut his mind off.

It didn't take long for the car to pull up to the Junes entrance, and he followed the three others out and into the main lobby. Seeing everything outside so dark was odd; it was rare that he went at night. "It's this big, even in a town this small, huh? Looks the same as the one in Port Island." Yu half-listened to Akihiko's comment as he started to lead them through the store, towards the electronics department. 

There was hardly anyone in the store, with almost everyone else there sporting a Junes apron. A few minutes later, he led them to the usual television that they used. "This is it," he said, stepping up to set his hand on the corner of its screen. After a quick glance around to make sure no one would see what was happening, he stuck his hand into the screen. The ordinarily hard screen rippled around his wrist like water, a phenomenon that Aigis studied closely as she leaned towards his hand. 

"Grr... Sensei!" In his mentally exhausted state, his reflexes were too slow to pull his hand out before Teddie could chomp down on his fingers. Wincing, he quickly pulled his hand out of the TV before the bear got any ideas about a second bite; already, Aigis and the others were poised for a fight. "I told you not to come in on your own again!"

Teddie's voice had been muddled by the transition through the TV, but his disappointment had been clear. "Easy, Teddie... There are some people here who want to help us." With that, he motioned for the three to follow him before crawling into the television.

\---

"People?" He'd hardly had the time to stand up before Teddie was looking at him, eagerly awaiting a response. Yu nodded, then pointed towards the trio of stacked television sets as Aigis pulled herself out. Her vibrant blue eyes were easy to see even before he'd donned his glasses. Though... did her irises just shift slightly? "Oh!" the bear exclaimed, looking up at Aigis. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Teddie!"

Aigis gave the mascot a suspicious look for a few second, then nodded in greeting. "My name is Aigis," she said, and Teddie's smiled widened. Akihiko and Mitsuru climbed out not long after, looking around the backlot as they tried to right themselves. When the two regarded the bear with suspicion as well, he cheerfully introduced himself again. "Where is this place?" Aigis walked over to the edge of the backlot, leaning over to peer down at the void of yellow fog.

"We're inside the TV!" Teddie exclaimed. "It's... where it is. Where I live."

He turned away from the group, setting his focus on one of the distant ends of the catwalk. That they would help with the case was almost guaranteed, he figured, but the question was how much? The thought of everything being solved quickly should have been relieving, yet here he was, dreading it. Solving it before the others had gotten involved--kidnapped, he realised--meant they wouldn't be a part of the team. Wouldn't be his friend. But it would have been better that way, right? There would be no heartache of being kidnapped and facing their Shadow, and...

No... Thoughts of Kanji in the news, still breaking apart biker gangs flashed through his mind. A depressed Rise stood behind the counter at Marukyu Tofu. Naoto leaving Inaba for her next case, never to be seen again. Things were better the way they'd already happened, he told himself, and- "Sensei?" He looked back at Teddie with a jolt, quickly putting up a neutral facade. "Are you okay?"

Yu nodded, despite desperately wanting to say otherwise; he knew there'd be no explanation for what was going through his mind. "Yeah. There's a lot on my mind." 

The bear frowned, but turned back towards Mitsuru to give a non-answer to her latest question. "I'm me!" he shouted, "that's all I know!" It looked as if the bear was set to growl at Mitsuru, but with an exaggerated gasp he turned around and pointed down one of the catwalks. "Th-The Shadows! Sensei! The Shadows are attacking!"

"H-Here?" He clumsily rushed over towards the pile of weapons and gear they had, throwing on his coat. Whilst the others quickly readied themselves for a fight, Teddie threw himself behind the set of TVs to cower in fear. The approaching mass of Shadows was already visible by the time he'd gotten his dull wooden sword ready, his knuckles white around the grip. 

Large parts of the misshapen Shadow started to break off as it grew closer, forming into more familiar enemies. Ravens, Hableries, and Dancers started to charge towards the backlot, swords, tongues, and lanterns at the ready. "Artemisia!" shouted Mitsuru, Evoker pressed against her temple as her Persona was summoned, shooting out from her body and hovering behind her. She pulled the mock pistol away from her head, shooting it a surprised glance before darting forwards with Artemisia to attack. The ruffled skirt of her Persona rippled through the air as she swung her weapon towards the oncoming wave of Shadows, a whip made of spiked metal tubes. 

The physical push he got from summoning Izanagi was almost non-existent, and he was preparing to shoot an arc of lightning at the Ravens when a burst of staccato gunfire filled his ears. His Persona retreated with the break in his concentration, and he turned towards the source of the noise. There stood Aigis, arms pointed towards the Shadows as her hands rotated, bullets flying from the tips of her fingers. Seconds passed as he wondered if what he saw was true, but a Shadow diving towards him quickly brought his attention to the fight. 

The tip of his bokken collided with the Raven's beak. With the bird stunned, he summoned Izanagi and stabbed into its body with the tip of his glaive, breaking its body apart and dissolving it into a pool of black goo. He couldn't stop now, but his breathing was already haggard. Just make it through this, he thought to himself, and then they can go. "Senseeei!" Teddie shouted for him, and he ran over to defend the bear. A Dancer had slipped past the other three, manoeuvring through the scaffolding to attack from behind. 

Izanagi shot forwards, slicing away at the Shadow. His arms and legs grew weak, and as he halted his attack the Dancer countered with a prod of its rapier. "Sensei!" Teddie shouted out as Yu clutched his side, the pain from the Shadow mimicked by his own body. The bear lunged towards the Shadow, only to bounce off harmlessly and collide with the televisions behind him. 

With the Shadow's attention momentarily grabbed by Teddie, Yu sent a bolt of lightning towards it, dealing a fatal blow to the Dancer. The mass of Shadows had diminished greatly, he saw, though it seemed that the others had been put on the defensive. Dashing forwards with Izanagi, he wrung out the last of his energy and poured it into a single attack. 

A dot of light appeared over the bulk of the Shadows, spinning and growing until it reached a critical mass. Dark spots blurred at the edge of his vision, and he was aware of a dull thud in his chest as he fell to the ground. "Sensei, you did it! You- Sensei!" Teddie's words echoed through his mind as all other sounds, sight, and feeling blurred into an incomprehensible mess.

"Caesar!" Everything came back to him at once, a flood of yellow, purple, and black. Teddie and the others were stood over him, stepping back only when he'd gotten to his feet. The Shadows were all gone, now, leaving their remains of trinkets and materials scattered around the backlot. Amongst the concentrated pile on the catwalk, he spotted a small black butterfly that seemed to 'glow' with an utter lack of light.

As it fluttered away and disappeared under the backlot, he wondered if he was hallucinating.

"Looks like that took care of the last of them," Akihiko said, looking around. His suit sported several cuts, tears, and rips, the largest being at the seams of his sleeves. "Does that happen often?"

Yu shook his head. "N-Never." What had caused the Shadows to attack at the backlot? Did bringing them into the TV World have an adverse effect that drew the Shadows towards them?

"We should leave before any more show up. Does the bear need to...?" Mitsuru pulled him out of his thoughts as she turned towards Teddie, awaiting a response.

Teddie shook his head, his body swaying from side to side with the movement. "I'll be fine! I have a hiding place I usually go to when the fog clears, so I'll just head there now." Yu couldn't help but think his enthusiasm had been more forced than usual as Teddie squeaked away.

"Come on, Aigis. Let's leave." Akihiko called out to the woman, pulling her attention away from Teddie. Hoping that they wouldn't try to do anything without him there, Yu crawled into one of the televisions, weakly pulling himself through before any of the others.

\---

Seconds after he stepped out of the television, his phone buzzed to life as it received a flurry of text messages. Flicking it open, he spotted a half dozen texts from Dojima. 

From asking about pickled radish to demanding his location... He flinched as he read the third text, his uncle's tone of voice turning hostile in what had to be record time. Yu was halfway through typing a response when Mitsuru and Aigis crawled out of the television, the pair righting themselves with more grace than he'd ever seen out of Chie. 

Akihiko quickly followed them, but his attention remained on Aigis; he hadn't forgotten what he'd seen in the television. The sight of her arms outstretched, ejecting spent brass bullet casings wasn't traumatic, but it was one of those mental images you'd never quite get out of your mind. "Um... Aigis-san, do you-" He stopped, unsure of how to phrase the question. 'How do you shoot bullets from your fingers' wasn't exactly an easy question to make. "How did you...?"

"Aigis is an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon," Mitsuru explained, leaving him confused. "An artificial body imbued with a personality, soul, and emotions." A... robot, then? It was hard to believe, frankly, even after seeing her in combat. "We'll investigate the school you saw tomorrow, in the morning. Can you handle that?"

"S-Sure." Should he bring the others then, too? It couldn't hurt, he figured, unless they ended up getting hurt. "Want me to call everyone else together as well?"

The redhead nodded, brushing off the sleeve of her suit. "Yes. Introductions must be made if we're going to be working together." Sensing that there was no room to argue, he gave her a sheepish nod and looked back at his phone. There were too many thoughts about how she'd affect the investigation for him to come up with a response to Dojima's texts. Would they be able to find the culprit? How fast would it take for that to happen? Would the others- "Narukami?" He looked back up and realised he'd zoned her out. "Do you need a ride?"

He gave her another nod and followed her out of the store, noting that the department store's second floor was now closed. Over in the distance, he spotted Yosuke in a heated conversation with two of the girls that always harassed and troubled him for favours. Part of him wanted to reach out and help, but he soon remembered his company and kept quiet. 

The breath of fresh air he got from the lobby's exit to the limousine was too brief to do him any good, the feeling of sickness hanging heavy in his stomach as Kikuno-san drove them back to his house on the other side of town. A pen rolled onto its other side on the console as the car rounded a corner in the street, reminding him of the contract he'd signed.

What was he even supposed to say to the others? To his uncle? "My uncle's probably mad," he muttered, pulling Mitsuru's attention away from the tablet in her hands.

"I can speak to him." Yu let it go at that, hoping that Mitsuru would be able to talk Dojima out of chastising him for leaving the house so late at night. Six minutes later, the limousine slowed to a stop, the door's safety latch unlocking as Kikuno stopped the engine. As he walked out, he spotted Dojima under the house's porch light, eyes wide as a well-dressed businesswoman walked out of a limousine, followed closely by Yu. "Dojima-san, correct? I apologise for such a late intrusion, but..." He didn't bother to listen to the rest, dragging his feet over towards the door as Mitsuru kept his uncle busy.

Yu slipped off his shoes before walking into the kitchen, fishing out a glass, and pouring out a large drink of water for him to chug. Nanako had gone to bed, it seemed... he'd have liked to say goodnight to her again. Absentmindedly checking the fridge for any intriguing leftovers, he spotted only a jar of fresh pickled radish and an untouched bento box. The sickness that had been washed out by the water returned, and he quickly poured out another glass to drink down.

His second glass of water did nothing to diminish his guilt for worrying Dojima or his concerns over the case, and he made his way over to the living room to sit at the table. Sleep would have been nice, but what would have been worse was Dojima waking him up with the intent to scold him. Waiting for his conversation with Mitsuru would be better.

He'd almost dozed off on his cushion when the door slid open, the limousine's engine growing quieter as it drove away. Dojima walked into the living room, a cocktail of emotions on his face. Disappointment, curiosity, and solemn anger at the fact that he had to chide his nephew. "Sorry, uncle."

Dojima sighed as he sank into the couch, looking resigned. "Listen... As your uncle and a police officer, I can't just let you go out as you please late at night. At the very least I need to know when things like this come up. Got it?" Yu nodded his head, too weak to say anything in response. "...I'm just trying to look out for you, kid. Get some sleep." His legs shook slightly as he hauled himself up the stairs, wondering if Dojima would call for him before he could stumble into his room. When he heard nothing, he shut the door to his room and stopped. He was exhausted, he felt sick, and someone was texting him.

There were three new unread texts, two from Yosuke and another from an unknown number. The latest text, a brief 'Eight o'clock at Junes' was from Mitsuru, he assumed. Fumbling with the charger cable for his phone, he opened up the texts from Yosuke.

'Partner u will nvr guess wat I saw omw home', it read. 'U wanna try?' He wanted to smirk, but the awful gut feeling he had prevented him.

'A limousine?' Deciding to play along, he sent off his reply and plugged his phone in before settling into his futon. Moments later Yosuke's response came in, staring back at him in all of its bold, mechanical tone. 'HOW'

A weak chuckle escaped him, and he started to plug away at his next message. He'd let Yosuke know to get up early first, then Chie and Yukiko; the others needed to know about what was happening, even if he hated what might come of it.


End file.
